Harry Potter and the Battle of Heirs
by Rachie.V
Summary: Harry meets someone new, a lot of problems during the year, Dark Magic, H/H (after awhile!) and a deadly battle takes place (eventually!) PLEASE REVIEW!!!
1. ~Chapter I~

Harry Potter and the Battle of Heirs

~Harry Potter and the Battle of Heirs~

~By Rachie.V.~

~Author's Note: Okay, I've started a new story called "Harry Potter and the Battle of Heirs". I decided to make this Chapter 1, not the Prologue. I really hope you like it! This story will be going up one chapter at a time! So be patient, please! I welcome all points of constructive criticism, and PLEASE REVIEW! It really makes my day! :)

Disclaimer:I do not own any of the characters except for Rachel (who you will meet later). The rest of the characters (and places like Hogwarts) belong to the best author this world has ever seen, J.K. Rowling. 

Right, on with the story! :) 

----------~*~----------

~Chapter I~

Harry Potter shivered. He was walking along a road without his cloak, and he was in the middle of a blizzard, in Hogsmeade. Harry was confused. Why was he here? He didn't remember even coming to Hogsmeade. All of a sudden, a girl appeared out of the snow. She was dressed in black pants, a purple tie-up shirt and a short, black jacket. She had elbow-length, straight, golden-brown hair and blue-grey eyes. She walked up to Harry.

"One day, you will meet me, and I will tell you something very important, something that you have been longing to hear," she said to him. Then there was a flash of green light and Voldemort was standing behind her. He cackled, and with another flash of green light, Harry Potter woke up in his bed, at number 4 Privet Drive. Harry didn't know why, but he was a little freaked out. That dream wasn't scary, but it seemed so real! He felt like he really did meet that girl. He shivered and realised that he was freezing. Then he realised that all of his blankets were on the floor. He pulled them up around himself, and thought about what the girl had said. 

"One day, you will meet me, and I will tell you something very important, something you have been longing to hear." Harry shivered again. Those words scared him even more. He was glad that he would be on a train tomorrow, to go to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where he would be in his 7th and final year at Hogwarts. He had been chosen the previous year to be the Head Boy, along with one of his best friends, Hermione Granger as Head Girl. At least he would be in a place where he belonged tomorrow. For his Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon were horrible to him, as they hated magic. And Dudley (Harry's cousin) wasn't too nice, either. (A/N: I won't bother to describe them, since you already know what they look and act like!)

Harry reached over to his bedside table and pulled on his glasses. He looked out of his window, and the eerie yellow glow of the streetlamps met his eyes. But what was that? Harry peered out of his window at what looked like a shadow of a cat, sitting on the wall outside the Dursleys' house. But it wasn't acting like a cat at all, in fact, it was a tabby, and it was sitting a little too stiffly for a cat…and it a peculiar marking around its eyes. Then Harry remembered that his Transfiguration teacher was an Animagus, and her name was Minerva McGonagall. She could turn into a tabby cat, and she always sat stiffly. Harry was puzzled. Why was Professor McGonagall outside Harry's house, at 1:00 in the morning? (A quick glance at his bedside clock told him the time.) Harry pulled on a dressing gown, and quietly walked out of the house, trying not to wake up the Dursleys. He opened the door quietly, and saw the cat look at the direction of the movement. She could not see who it was yet, for Harry was still hidden in the shadows of the front door. But as soon as Harry walked into the light, Professor McGonagall's tail twitched, and she stood up. Harry walked over to the wall, pulling his dressing gown closer to his freezing body as the wind whipped his cheeks. His dressing gown billowed out behind him, and he sat next to the cat on the wall. He shivered in the cold. Professor McGonagall somehow made all of the lights on the street go out, and then she transformed into her usual self. 

"What are you doing here, Professor?" Harry asked her. Even though the lights were out, Harry could still see the Professor perfectly fine. Harry knew that she had used some spell that made only him and Professor McGonagall able to see in the dark.

"I came to get you. Harry, we need you up at the school before everybody else arrives tomorrow, so I need to take you there as soon as the sun rises. I was going to wake you up tomorrow, but seeing as you spotted me, I will wait down here for you tomorrow morning. If you are not awake twenty minutes before the sun rises, I will come and wake you up. Set your alarm for half an hour before the break of dawn, okay, Harry? Oh, by the way, how was your summer?" Professor McGonagall said. Harry had to laugh. This was an older version of Hermione.

"My summer has been, well…the usual. I haven't had the chance to see Ron or Hermione, and the Dursleys treated me as they usually do. Anyway, I'll have my alarm ready, Professor. But where will you sleep?" Harry asked her. 

"Over there," Professor said, pointing to a hole in the wall. It was rather small, and damp.

"But Professor, I really don't think that it's suitable. If you want, you can sleep in my room, under the desk, as a cat," Harry offered.

"Oh, are you sure, Harry?" Professor McGonagall said.

"Yeah, sure I'm sure. But if you get spotted by any of the Dursleys, I'm in trouble. But seeing as we have to leave at the crack of dawn, I'm sure they'll never know," Harry said.

Harry and Professor McGonagall sneaked back into the house and into Harry's room. Harry looked at Professor McGonagall. She looked stunned at all the broken toys at the back of "Harry's" room. 

"They're not mine. They're Dudley's. So I own only half of the room," Harry said.

"Now I'm convinced that our choice was right," Professor McGonagall said, looking around the room.

"What choice?" Harry asked.

"My, you don't have much room in here, do you? Oh, hello, Hedwig," Professor McGonagall said, changing the subject. She walked over to the desk and said, "is there you want me to sleep?"

"Yeah, if that's okay," Harry replied.

"No problem," Professor McGonagall said, turning into a cat and slinking under the desk.

"Wait, here's something to sleep on," Harry said, offering an old grey jumper of Dudley's to Professor McGonagall. She took it with her tail and folded it over in half. She lay down on half of it, and slept under the other. 

"Goodnight, Professor," Harry whispered. The cat purred in reply. Harry got into bed, fixed up his alarm, took off his glasses and fell asleep.

**Fast forward to the next day, at Hogwarts** 

  
"Harry, I'm glad you're here so early," Professor Dumbledore said from behind his desk. He was dressed in his dressing gown and nightcap. He rubbed his eyes and clasped his hands in front of him, on the desk.

"Thank you Professor, but why am I here, exactly?" Harry asked.

"Well, this summer, Professor McGonagall and myself gave our stories about Sirius Black, about the truth to the Ministry of Magic. Well, we seemed to get somewhere, because they half believed us. They said they needed proof. So we gave it to them. We gave them Peter Pettigrew. We had caught him trying to sneak back to Hogwarts, and we made him transform. Well, all is clear now, and Harry, Sirius Black is a free man!" Dumbledore didn't know how happy these words had made Harry. A grin spread across Harry's face.

"Well, when can I live with him?" Harry asked. His voice shook with joy.

"After this year. There are a few things the Ministry need to sort out. They need to put Sirius on the list of registered Animagi, and clear out a few other things, too. But after this year, you will be able to live with him," Dumbledore answered.

"All right!" Harry yelled. Dumbledore smiled and Professor McGonagall wiped a tear away from her eye.

Suddenly, an owl flew through the window and landed on Dumbledore's desk. Dumbledore tore open the letter it was carrying, and read the letter. His face turned pale.

"What is it, Dumbledore?" Professor McGonagall asked.

"The – the Weasleys have been attacked by Voldemort," Dumbledore replied. 

----------~*~----------

~Author's Note: Well, did you like it? I know, a cliffhanger. But it makes you want to read chapter 2, doesn't it? I hope you liked it. PLEASE review (I welcome constructive criticism, but NO FLAMES!!!), and tell me what you think! Also, thanks to Kim, Cait, Jilly and all the other people who reviewed "The Leprechaun" and "Return of the Leprechaun"! :) [][1]Click here to e-mail me!

   [1]: mailto:rachvom@aol.com



	2. ~Chapter II~

~Harry Potter and the Battle of Heirs~

~By Rachie.V.~

~Author's Note: Well, here's Chapter 2. I hope you like it! Do not read this before Chapter 1, or you will be a little confused! Please REVIEW and I welcome all points of constructive criticism (NO FLAMES). Tell me what you think!

Disclaimer: Only Rachel belongs to me, but the other characters and places like Hogwarts belong to the best author to be born, J.K.Rowling.

----------~*~----------

Chapter II

_Dear Sirius,_

_Congratulations! I'm so glad that you are now a free man. I can't wait to live with you, and I would have Christmas break with you, but since I can't live with you until after the year, I guess I'll be seeing you at King's Cross Station at the end of the year!_

I had this dream last night, and it involved this girl I didn't know. I was in Hogsmeade, and there was a blizzard going on. Then this girl comes along, and she says that one day, I will meet her, and she will tell me something I have been longing to hear. Then Voldemort comes up behind her, he laughs, there's a flash of green light, and then I woke up. My scar didn't hurt, but do you think that this is something to do with Voldemort coming closer? 

And while Dumbledore told me about you, we heard news that Voldemort attacked the Weasleys. I hope they're all right!

_ _

_I had better go now, but take care of yourself!_

_Love,_

_Harry._

Harry sealed the letter and decided to walk up to the Owlery with it. He had written the letter in the Gryffindor common room, as soon as he was dismissed from Dumbledore's office. The students still had not arrived. 

Harry sighed. He was worried sick about the Weasleys. What if they were… Harry couldn't bear to even think about it. The Weasleys were like Harry's family, and Harry wouldn't know what to do without them. Especially Harry's other best friend, Ron Weasley. 

Harry had reached the Owlery, and he found Hedwig easily. He tied the letter to her leg, and watched her fly out through the window. Harry decided to walk to the Great Hall; the students would probably here soon. Harry walked over to the Gryffindor table and sat down. The golden plates and goblets were already there. The Great Hall's door swung open and the teachers marched into the Great Hall and sat down at the Head Table. A few of them threw curious glances Harry's way, but he ignored them. The dors closed again, and Harry sighed. Dumbledore walked up to Harry.

"Listen Harry, I know that you're upset about the Weasleys, but don't do anything about it. I know that you will do anything to help find the Weasleys, but please, don't. You will put yourself in danger," he said.

"I know, but what happened? I mean, did they disappear, or did Voldemort kill them?" Harry asked desperately.

"Well, as far as we know, they disappeared, but we are doing everything we can to find them," Dumbledore said. Just then, the doors to the Great Hall flew open, and the students (except for the first years) all poured in, and sat at their tables. Dumbledore headed back to the Head Table. As soon as Hermione saw him, she rushed to Harry and enveloped him in a hug.

"Hermione!" Harry exclaimed. 

"Oh, Harry! I heard about the Weasleys, and I was so worried! Then when I got on the train, and I didn't see you, I thought you were…" Hermione didn't finish, but she let go of Harry and tears started pouring down her face. Harry didn't start crying, and he didn't know why. 

"It's all right Hermione, we'll find Ron," Harry told her, while she sniffled and sobbed at the same time.

"No, it's not! I bet that Dumbledore was telling you not to go looking for him, wasn't he?" she asked.

"Er… yeah, but did you really think that I'd go by the rules when it comes to Ron?" Harry asked.

"Well, no…" Hermione admitted.

"That's the spirit. Now, do you want to hear some good news?" Harry asked Hermione, watching her wipe her eyes and blow her nose on a handkerchief. 

"Yeah! What?" Harry started to tell her about Sirius, but was quickly interrupted by Professor McGonagall, who came in with the first years and explained about Sorting. The Sorting Hat and the stool were already in place. Everybody watched the hat as it started to sing a song, and then Professor McGonagall started reading the students' names off a list.

"Aseeda, Gail". The list went on, and until Professor McGonagall got to her, nobody recognized the girl in the line that looked tall enough to be in year 7.

"Now, we have a student to be sorted into year 7. The reason is that she had been going to "The Australian School of Witchcraft and Wizardry". She was born in England, and has moved back here. Rachel Hay, please put on the Sorting Hat, and sit on the stool." Professor McGonagall said. Harry couldn't see her face properly, as the Sorting Hat was hiding her face, but he thought that she looked familiar…

Everybody was staring at the girl as the Sorting Hat fell over her eyes. The Sorting Hat was silent for a few seconds, then it shouted, "Gryffindor!"

The Gryffindor Table blew up. At least, that's what it sounded like to Harry. People were cheering at the top of their lungs. You'd think that they'd won the house cup! Harry expected to hear the Weasley twins (Fred and George) to shout out something like, "Wahoo! We got the new girl!" But then Harry remembered that the Weasleys were missing. Harry sighed. 

"Is anything wrong?" Harry turned to his right. It was the girl who was just Sorted. Harry gasped. It was the girl from his dream! The girl who had just come to Hogwarts was the girl in his dream! He had met her, and now she should tell him something that he had been longing to hear…

"Is anything wrong?" the girl asked again. Harry noticed that she was sitting in Ron's chair. Harry felt a pang in his chest. He had to find Ron!

"No, nothing's wrong. I'm Harry Potter," Harry said, outstretching his hand. The girl laughed.

"I knew that! But you knew that I'm Rachel Hay, didn't you?" Rachel shook Harry's hand.

"Yeah," Harry replied. Then Dumbledore stood up and made some announcements, including an announcement about a Graduation Ball that was to be held at the end of the year, for the years four to seven. The year sevens would have to lead the ball, like Harry had to lead the Yule Ball in his fourth year. Harry sighed. He supposed that he would have to take Hermione. Then Dumbledore told the school about the Weasleys. Harry sighed again. Hermione then burst into tears again, and Harry put a comforting arm around her shoulders. Harry still couldn't cry. He didn't know why.

Then it was time for dinner. While they ate people all over the Gryffindor table were asking each other to the Graduation Ball. Harry supposed he might as well ask Hermione now.

"Hermione?"

"Yeah? (Sniffle)"

"Will you go to the Graduation Ball with me?"

"Oh, Harry, I would, but, well… I'd rather go with Ron, and even though he's missing, I wouldn't want to hurt his feelings."

"That's okay," Harry sighed. Now what would he do? He had no date yet, and he had to lead the ball! Wait…what about Rachel?

"Uh…um…Rachel?" Rachel looked up from her dinner. She hadn't said a word to anyone. Harry thought she was very nice. He and Hermione should become friends with her.

"Yeah?"

"Will you…er…" Harry blushed. Why was he so bad at this?

"Would I like to go to the Graduation Ball with you?" she supplied, smiling.

"Yeah," Harry replied.

"Sure! I'd love to," Rachel cried. For some reason, Harry didn't like Cho Chang that much, anymore…

Suddenly, the door to the Great Hall flung open, and in walked… the Weasleys! Except for Bill and Charlie. They didn't disappear. 

Hermione screamed and burst into tears. Harry yelled, "RON!" and ran to him. Hermione and Rachel followed.

"Oh, Ron!" Harry cried, and hugged him. All of the Weasleys looked as if they had been travelling for days. Their robes were ripped, their hair was knotted and they had dirt on their faces. They looked very tired.

"Harry!" Ron cried back, giving him a hug back. He was limping, so Harry helped to support him. The teachers all came running over. Dumbledore pulled Harry, Ron and Hermione aside. He showed them a note that an owl had brought while the Weasleys had made their appearance. They read it and gasped. 

It read: 

_Beware! I will attack when you least expect it…_

Then there was Voldemort's Dark Mark on the bottom.

----------~*~----------

~Author's Note: What did you think? PLEASE REVIEW!!! And constructive criticism and comments ONLY! Please, no flames! Thanks to all the people who do review! They deserve a big hug! **Blows kisses to the reviewers** Please review? It only takes a couple of seconds! :) [][1]Click here to e-mail me!

   [1]: mailto:rachvom@aol.com



	3. ~Chapter III~

Harry Potter and the Battle of Heirs

~Harry Potter and the Battle of Heirs~

~By Rachie.V.~

_ _

_ _

~Author's Note: Here's Chapter 3! Are you enjoying this fic? _Review_ and tell me! Please, NO FLAMES! Just compliments and constructive criticism. Thank you! DO NOT READ THIS BEFORE CHAPTERS 1 AND 2!!! :)

~Disclaimer: I only own Rachel, the plot and the Graduation Ball. Everything else belongs to the MASTER: J.K.Rowling.

On with the story… :)

------------~*~------------

Chapter III

"Okay! Everybody, off to bed! We will sort this out!" Dumbledore said to the students who had started to come over to where the commotion was. "You three, please take the Weasleys up to Madam Pomfrey," Dumbledore said to Harry, Hermione and Rachel. The trio obeyed Dumbledore's orders and helped the Weasleys through the castle.

"Oh my! They've been found! Oh, dear. Look at the state of them all," Madam Pomfrey muttered, as everybody trudged into the Hospital Wing. "Let's fix you up, now." With a wave of her wand, all the dirt and twigs had been removed from the Weasleys' robes and they looked a little healthier. Then she examined them one at a time and fixed them up.

"Oh, Ron! We were so worried! I thought that you were…" Hermione didn't finish her sentence, as tears suddenly poured out of her already red and puffy eyes.

"I'm okay, just a broken ankle. But Madam Pomfrey fixed it," Ron said walking over to them.

"I'm glad you're okay. But I need to introduce you two," Harry said, indicating Rachel and Ron. "Ron, this is Rachel Hay. Rachel, this is Ron Weasley."

"Hi! I'm glad that you and your family are okay," Rachel said politely, shaking Ron's hand.

"Nice to meet you too," Ron said, smiling. But Harry knew that Ron didn't have a crush on her, he liked Hermione. And Hermione didn't have a crush on Harry; she liked Ron. Harry didn't like anybody…__

_"Yet," _thought Harry, sneaking a glance at Rachel. Harry suddenly hated Cho; he was glad that she had disappeared from Harry's life, since she had graduated the year before. She had been Head Girl.

~*~

"So, do you like Quidditch?" Harry asked Rachel. 

It was the next day at breakfast, and Harry learned some things about Rachel. She was English, but had moved to Australia as a baby, and loved being back in England. She was a good student, and read a _lot_ of books in her spare time. She loved school, and was popular. She also loved to have friends. She was already Harry, Ron and Hermiones' best friend. They hung out together just like the trio did the past years.

"Oh, yeah! I love the sport. I'm a really good Keeper," Rachel replied, drinking off her glass of orange juice.

"Maybe you could try out for the part. You see, our proper Keeper, Oliver Wood, was the captain of the team in my first 3 years. Well, when he left, we didn't play Quidditch in our fourth year, because of the Triwizard Tournament, but after that, we had to use a reserve, Pete Riverson. But we haven't got an actual player," Harry explained.

"Hey, cool! I'd really love to. Didn't you get on the Quidditch team in your first year?" Rachel asked him.

"Er…yeah," Harry replied, blushing.

"Well, congratulations, Potter! Ya Dad would've been proud." Rachel shook Harry's hand. Harry blushed even more furiously and felt a pang of sadness about his Dad. Suddenly, there was a rush above them, and the owls came swooping in.

"Geez, what is this? Why do the owls fly in here so early in the morning?" Rachel cried.

"What, don't they come in at breakfast at your old school?" Harry asked her.

"No way, man! They come into your room and wait for you while you go back upstairs from dinner!" she answered.

"Oh. Sorry they scared you," Harry said, watching Hedwig come to him. She landed, and Harry tore open the letter at once. Before he read his letter, Harry grinned at Rachel's amazement as Hedwig started eating Rachel's cornflakes.

"Friendly one, you've got there," Rachel laughed, as Hedwig put her head down to be tickled on the neck. "She's beautiful too. She's like a ball of snow inthe Summer," Rachel murmured, tickling Hedwig.

Harry read his letter and gasped.

"What?" Ron and Hermione asked together. They had been talking together while Harry and Rachel talked together.

"Look, read this," Harry showed them the letter.

Dear Harry,

I'm also glad that I'm a free man. But there's something I want to ask you. Would you like me to adopt you? I'll understand if you don't, but it was just a suggestion. 

About your dream, well, all I can say is that it was unusual, but, well, if your scar didn't hurt, then I don't think that it could be linked to Voldemort, but I can't be sure.

Please write back to me, with your answer about the adoption.

Your Godfather,

Sirius.

P.S. I heard that the Weasleys are okay. Say hello to Ron for me!

Harry took out a quill, turned the letter over and wrote:

_Sirius,_

_You know that I want my parents back so much, but I really don't want you to adopt me. It's not that I don't like you; I'd risk my life for you! But, well, I don't want to push Dad aside. Or Mum for that matter. It would be lovely to have a father back again, but I only want my real Dad back. But don't take this the wrong way. I love you, but I'd like you to stay as my godfather._

_Your caring godson,_

_Harry._

_ _

"Harry!" gasped Hermione. "What did you do that for? He'll be so upset now!"

"Like I said in the letter, I don't want to push Dad aside. Nor Mum. Sirius is like a father to me, but I'd rather stay as his godson," Harry replied, folding up the letter and tying it to Hedwig's leg. Hedwig flew off.

"But this was your one chance to get a dad back," Ron argued. "Forget about your parents! They're dead and they will never live again!" Ron was nearly yelling. The whole Great Hall had gone silent and was listening to the argument. Professor McGonagall had tried to get up and stop the argument, but Dumbledore had lad a hand on her arm and prevented her from stopping the dispute.

Ron didn't know how mad he had just made Harry by saying his foolish words. Harry shook with uncontrollable anger. Every single pair of eyes was on Harry as he stood up pulled Ron up by the front of the collar of his robes, so that Ron's face was level with Harry's.

"YOU'RE PARENTS HAVEN'T BEEN MURDERED! YOU'RE MUM AND DAD DIDN'T DIE TO TRY AND SAVE YOUR LIFE! YOU STILL HAVE A FAMILY TO LOVE YOU! I DON'T! SO HOW WOULD _YOU_ FEEL IF _YOUR _PARENTS WERE DEAD AND SOMEBODY WANTED TO TAKE THEIR PLACE? NOBODY CAN TAKE THE PLACE OF YOUR REAL PARENTS! IT ISN'T THE SAME!" Harry yelled those words so loud that the house-elves from the kitchen were peeking around the wall to the Great Hall to see what was going on. Ron was shaking with fear and his face was pale. Harry dropped him to the floor and Ron ran back to his seat and Hermione gave him a hug. Harry suddenly fled from the Great Hall. Rachel threw Ron an angry look and ran after Harry. They both ran through the castle and up to the Gryffindor dormitories. Being the Head Boy, Harry knew what the password was, and Rachel followed him into the Gryffindor Common room. Harry flung himself into a couch and closed his eyes. Rachel sat down next to him without saying a word. He wasn't crying and Rachel wondered why.

"_I know something about his past that his parents and their friends knew about. But Mum made me swear not to tell him. And being the best friend of Lily Potter, Mum knows quite a few things that Harry doesn't,"_ Rachel thought to herself. "_But he has a right to know! He _needs_ to know! I've got to tell him…"_

"Er, Harry?" Rachel spoke up tentatively, putting her hand on Harry's shoulder.

Harry's eyes flew open and he twisted around to see who had spoken, and when he saw Rachel, he jumped. Rachel giggled.

"Yeah?" 

"There's something I need to tell you about."

"Wait. Before you speak, I need to tell _you_ something. The night before I came to Hogwarts, I had this dream."

"Go on."

"Well, I was in Hogsmeade, in a blizzard without my cloak. And – and you appeared, and you told me that one day, I would meet you, and you would tell me something important – something I have been longing to hear. Then Voldemort came up behind you, laughed, there was a flash of green light and then I woke up."

When Harry had mentioned that Rachel would tell him "something he had been longing to hear", she had gasped.

"What?"

"Well, I need to tell you something. My –"

Rachel was cut off by the portrait of the Fat Lady, which swung open in a bang and Hermione stormed in.

"I can't believe that just happened!" Hermione cried. Then she noticed Harry and Rachel staring at her and realized that she had caught them talking, and Harry didn't look so angry anymore.

"Did I interrupt something?" she asked.

"No," Rachel said quickly. Suddenly, the portrait opened again with such force that it fell of and shattered.

"Repario," Hermione said, pointing her wand at the portrait. It flew back into its usual state, and the Fat Lady called out, "thank you!"

Ron stormed in, but the moment he saw Harry, he stopped dead in his tracks, turned pale and started to shake. Harry, noticing this, was amused.

"Oh, where have you been, Ronniekins?" Harry asked, using the name that Ron hated the most. "Have you been off telling the other Gryffindors that they're better off with godparents instead of parents?"

"No, Harry! I – I'm sorry I said that, I guess I just wanted you to be happy. I mean, I wanted you to have a father and not be an orphan."

"Well…" Harry said slowly, thinking of whether to accept the apology or not. He hadn't been expecting Ron to apologize so soon.

"Oh, Harry! Just accept the apology! I don't want to repeat our fourth year trying to get you two to be friends!" Hermione snapped.

"Oh, all right. I'm sorry, too, Ron. I guess that talking about my parents is a touchy subject," Harry told Ron. They slapped each other on the back as a way of being friends again. Hermione rolled her eyes. Rachel giggled.

"Okay, now. Harry, while we are Head Boy and Girl, we need to set a demonstration of how Gryffindor students should behave…" Hermione started. Harry and Ron groaned, and Rachel just sat there, wondering why the boys were groaning. 

"It's the first day back, and she's already started," Ron said to Harry. Harry grinned in reply.

------------~*~------------

Author's Note:Okay, first of all, I'm trying not to put too many cliffhangers in, and I'm typing these out as fast as I can, so please be patient! Secondly, somebody pointed out that it was way too soon to start asking for dates to a ball when it was being held at the end of the year. But I put it that way because some students were so excited, they started asking and they set everybody else off! Oh, and I apologize for putting Cho Chang in a previous chapter, since she's a year older than Harry. Thank you to the people who point out these mistakes! I'll try and watch out next time! Thirdly, _thank you so much to the people who read and review! _You know who you are, but I'll mention the people that I can remember. Starlight (she hasn't actually had the time recently to read or review, but she's promised to review soon, so thank you to her), Caitlyn, Jilliana and Elani Wrapdon. Those are the only people that I can remember, but if you have read and reviewed, _THANK YOU!!!!_ J

Next, _PLEASE review!!!!_ It really makes my day, so please; compliments and constructive criticism are appreciated! (NO FLAMES!!!)

If you want some good fics to read, check out my "Favourite Stories" list, or "Favourite Authors" list. I highly recommend Starlight's "Harry Potter and the Mirror's Gift" and the sequel to it, "Harry Potter and the Jade Dragon". Also, check out the stories of the people I mentioned who had reviewed, and the other people I cannot remember who have also reviewed!

I encourage people to put a plug in for themselves at the end of their review, so please do! I don't mind! I'll check out your stories if you do! (If you don't I will still read your fics anyway, but some people might think that if you don't ask, you don't want them to read the fics!)

Oh, and if you think that this is totally rubbish, feel free to throw fruit and vegetables at me! But make sure you include grapes, because I love 'em! 

And if you have read all the way through this Author's Note, give yourself a pat on the back for listening to me rambling on and on and on and on and on and on and on…

[][1]Click here to e-mail me!

   [1]: mailto:rachvom@aol.com



	4. ~Chapter IV~

HP~BOH4

~Harry Potter and the Battle of Heirs~

~By Rachie.V.~

------------~*~------------

Chapter IV

_ _

_Harry –_

_I totally understand about the adoption thing. It's fine! As long as you live with me once you're allowed to, but as my godson. If you don't want to live with me, I'm coming down there right away to see what the matter is!_

_ _

_Have you met the girl in your dream yet? I have a feeling you have. Ask her if she has something to tell you! You never know, she might really know something…_

_ _

_Tell me what's going on at Hogwarts – I miss the place with its secret passages and I miss being there with the Marauders. And tell me all about Quidditch, too! I miss seeing James the constant hero of every match. I suppose you start the Quidditch season this Sunday? _

_ _

_Anyway, I have to go meet that blasted Ministry again to sign some more papers and clear my name._

_ _

_See you soon,_

_Sirius. _

"See, Ron! Sirius does understand," Harry said to Ron on Saturday morning at breakfast, once he had read the letter Hedwig had brought him. He hadn't told anyone about the girl in his dream, though.

"I think you made the right decision about not wanting to be adopted, Harry," Rachel said to Harry.

"I didn't know what to think. Ron just wanted the best for you, and I…well…I guess I thought you were wrong and right," Hermione said to Harry. Harry just smiled at her to show his appreciation.

They got up and walked to the marble staircase, when they saw a sign, saying:

Trials for Quidditch places!

Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff all need new players! If you want to try out for a place, please see Madam Hooch tonight at the times below.

Gryffindor students: 7:30pm at the Quidditch pitch to try out for Keeper.

Slytherin students:5:00pm at the Quidditch pitch to try out for Beater.

Ravenclaw students:3:00pm at the Quidditch pitch to try out for Seeker.

Hufflepuff students:1:00pm at the Quidditch pitch to try out for Seeker.

-------

"Great! Now you can try out for Keeper, Rachel!" Harry said.

"Yeah! Ooh, I hope I get the place!" She exclaimed.

"I'm going to try out for the place, too," Ron said.

"Whaaaaat? But – but Ron! I – I really don't think that-" Harry started to say, but Ron cut him off.

"Oh, I know I'm not the best player in the world, but I can give it a go, can't I?" 

"Of course you can!" Rachel said cheerfully. "I'm not the best player in the world either, but I'm pretty good at it, and it would be fun to give it a go!"

"Suppose you're right," Harry said.

"Of course I'm right! Now come on, we've got a game of wizard's chess to play!" Rachel cried, and slung her arms over Harry and Hermione's shoulders. They did the same back, and Ron called out, "Don't leave out li'l ol' me!" and put his hands on Rachel's back and did the cha-cha train. They went back to the Gryffindor common room and talked and played wizard's chess for the rest of the day, and found out that Rachel wasn't a good player, but she was having fun and didn't give up. Then at 7:15pm, they set off for the Quidditch pitch. As they were strolling along, Hermione said, "You know, I might try out as well. Rachel made me realize that it doesn't matter if you get the part or not, but as long as you have fun and that you tried."

"Good for you, Hermione!" Harry and Rachel said together. They all laughed.

By the time they reached the Quidditch pitch, it was 7:30 on the nose. There were only a few other students there: Lavender, Neville, Dean and Seamus.

"Oh, good! We have a bit of good ol' competition," Rachel cried. Harry grinned. He knew Rachel was kidding, and she was hiding it very well, as the other Gryffindors beamed and didn't realize she was being sarcastic. For Neville still couldn't fly a broom properly, Lavender was scared of flying higher than 2 metres, Dean didn't know how to play Quidditch properly, Hermione simply wasn't interested, Ron was a bad player altogether and so was Seamus. Rachel had basically already won the part. But she had to prove it. Madam Hooch came up to them, and gave them all instructions. Then she gave them each a broom, and let them go on the pitch with her one at a time. The people that were trying out had to try and catch as many Quaffles as they could (Madam Hooch had about 100 in her shed.), and Madam Hooch would write down the results. The person who caught the most was the new Keeper. They al went in alphabetical order, so Dean was up first. He flew to the pitch, and straight away Harry realized he couldn't fly a broom properly. After a couple of minutes, Dean had caught all he could, which turned out to be 56 Quaffles. Then it was Hermione's turn. She could fly okay, but she only caught 48 Quaffles. She just shrugged as she came off the field and smiled at them. 

"At least I gave it my best shot," she said, handing her broom back to Madam Hooch. Madam Hooch nodded and smiled.Lavender came up next, and only caught 28 Quaffles; the rest flew too high for her. Neville did even worse than that, catching 12. Then Rachel, who walked up to the pitch confidently, and hopped on her broom and flew to the goals. Harry saw that she was a very good flyer, but not as good as he was. She flew to each Quaffle and caught it with ease. Then when two were launched at her at the same time, she would lurch after one and turn quickly after the other. Overall, she caught 92 of the Quaffles! She was grinning as she walked off the pitch; she knew she had done it. Madam Hooch beamed at her. Then it was Ron's turn. He wasn't very good, to say the least. He would go after one, catch it, but miss another that was coming his way. Sometimes, he missed them altogether. He was not grinning as he walked off the field. He had only caught 58.

"Oh well, Ron. At least you tried! And you did better than me!" Hermione said to him. Ron seemed to brighten up at this.

"Suppose," he muttered, his ears turning pink.

Seamus had his go, and got 54.

"Well, you all know who our new Keeper is! Congratulations, miss Hay! I'd like to thank all of you for trying out, and congratulate Ron, as the reserve! You all did very well. Congratulations to _all_ of you," Madam Hooch said. Then she bid them goodnight, and walked back up to the castle. Hermione squealed. 

"Ron, Ron! You made the reserve!" She hugged Ron, then they both turned red and Hermione stopped squealing. Harry laughed. Then Rachel started squealing, hugging all of them (Harry turned bright red) and then she calmed down enough to say that she didn't know why she said that. Harry, recovering, said that it was just the excitement of getting onto the team. Then they walked back to the castle, got some cakes from the kitchens and held a mini party for the people that had tried out. 

Later, in bed, Harry wondered why he had turned red when Rachel had hugged them all. 

_"Do I like her more than I thought?"_ he wondered to himself. _"Nah … or do I?"_ With those thoughts swimming through Harry's mind, he fell asleep.

------------~*~------------

Author's Note: Sorry that was a little short and uneventful, but it was necessary. I hope you liked it, and PLEASE REVIEW! (If you do, please, NO FLAMES!) Or, [][1]click here to e-mail me! If you want a good fic to read, look in my "Favourite Stories" list, or "Favourite Authors" list. In particular, some big faves of mine are by: Caitlyn, Jilliana, Elani Wrapdon and Starlight. (If you search for Starlight, she's the first one on the list!) 

If you want, feel free to put a plug in for yourself at the end of your review, and give yourself a pat on the back for reading my Author's Notes! Feel free to e-mail me! (Look in my bio.)

Disclaimer: I only own Rachel and the plot. The rest of the characters, Quidditch, Hogwarts, etc. belong to J.K. Rowling (the Master).

   [1]: mailto:rachelpotter@aol.com



	5. ~Chapter V~

~Harry Potter and the Battle of Heirs~

~By Rachie.V.~__

_ _

----------~*~----------

Chapter V

Harry groaned. He had just woken up the next day (Sunday), and it was the first day of the Quidditch season. But the problem was that it was raining – _hard_. The match was against Ravenclaw, and it was to be held at night, since they needed to train all day for so that Rachel would be prepared.

Harry stumbled out of bed and went to take a shower. As the warm water cascaded down his back, Harry slowly woke up and the excitement that only Quidditch could bring fluttered into Harry's stomach. He cheerfully got dressed and looked at his clock. It was _5:00am!_

_"Oh well. At least I'm awake properly now," _he thought to himself. He decided to go down to breakfast anyway, since he had gone down to breakfast at this time once before, and knew that breakfast would already be prepared. He walked into the common room and had barely walked 3 steps, when, slowly, a door creaked open behind him. Harry spun around quickly, and saw Rachel poking her head around the door to the girls' dormitories. Her hair was knotted and her eyes were a little bleary.

"What're you doing up this early?" Rachel asked Harry, walking out of the door, and Harry saw that she was dressed in a purple silk dressing gown with Winnie the Pooh all over it. Harry sat on the couch.

"I woke up too early; that always happens on the morning of a Quidditch match," he replied.

"Oh, me too. Morning of Quidditch matches are the only mornings I like; the rest of the time, I don't like mornings!" Rachel said, sitting down next to Harry on the couch. She showed him her bookmark that was placed in a book that she had left out the night before on a table. It had a picture of a polar bear on it, and a light blue ribbon was tied through a hole in the top right-hand corner. Underneath the polar bear were the words:

I don't do mornings!

Harry laughed. Rachel grinned. Suddenly, Rachel stood up.

"I'll just go get dressed, but will you wait for me? I hate walking through this castle alone; Peeves always seems to find a way to trip me up!" Rachel said, as she walked over to the girls' dorms.

"Sure, of course," Harry replied. Rachel grinned and went to go and get dressed. Harry just sat there, thinking. Suddenly, the door opened again. Harry, looking up, expected to see Rachel, but Ginny was stood there, dressed in a green silk dressing gown. Harry's mind whirled. He knew Ginny had a crush on him, so this was not a good sign.

"Hi," Ginny said uncertainly.

"Good morning," Harry replied.

"Listen, Harry. I-I'm sorry th-that I always seemed to bother you by having that silly little crush on you." Ginny took a deep breath and seemed to gain confidence. "I guess I was silly to ever believe that you'd like me more than a friend. I also realized that I'd rather be your friend, than being embarrassed around you. I'm sorry. Do you accept my apology and want to be my friend?" Ginny held out her hand.

"Sure, Ginny. You must have gathered up a lot of courage to do this. Thank you for being mature and just wanting to be good friends," Harry said, shaking her hand. While they were shaking hands, Rachel appeared, fully dressed in her robes. She was wearing little silver studs that were in the shape of wands. She also had lip-gloss on and had put a tiny bit of body glitter on her cheeks. A yellow ribbon tied her golden-brown, elbow-length hair back into a ponytail, matching the yellow hair clips that were in her hair. Each hair clip was in the shape of a sun.

"Wow! Rachel – we're only practising Quidditch all day!" Harry said, looking her over.

"Oh my gosh! I forgot about Quidditch practices!" Rachel gasped, and with that, she ran back into the girls' dormitories, then ran back out again, wearing normal silver studs in and no lip-gloss or body glitter on. Her hair was tied back with a normal, black hair tie.

"Why were you getting dressed up if you thought there were only classes on today?" Harry asked her, walking out of the Gryffindor common room. He had forgotten about Hermione and Ron altogether.

"Oh, I always dress that way for school," Rachel replied.

"But I've never seen you dress that way before today," Harry said, pulling up a tapestry for Rachel. She walked under it and said, "that's because I couldn't find the stuff before this morning. It had been stashed away in my make-up box, but I'm such a scatterbrain, I could've sworn it was in my bedside table drawers!"

Harry laughed. 

"What a day for Quidditch, huh?" Harry said, putting his hands in his pockets. Rachel snorted in a disapproving way.

"I'll say. Have you ever played in these conditions before?" she asked him.

"Yeah. Hermione had to put a charm on my glasses so I could see!" Harry replied.

"It must be horrible having to play Quidditch with glasses on. Why don't you get contacts?" Rachel asked him. They had reached the Great Hall and sat down at the Gryffindor Table. There were no teachers at the High Table.

"I guess I could ask Sirius to get me some. I hate glasses," Harry said, wondering why he hadn't thought of that before. 

"You mean Sirius Black your godfather?" Rachel asked, not noticing what she had said. Harry's face went pale.

"How did you know that Sirius Black is my godfather?" Harry asked, amazed. Rachel's eyes widened and her mouth slowly dropped open.

"Oh no. Listen Harry. There are a few things you should know. You see, my-" Rachel started to say, but was interrupted by Professor Dumbledore, who had just walked into the Great Hall and had started to speak.

"Ah, Harry. I'm glad you're up early. Could you come with me, please?"

"Um…okay," Harry replied. He looked at Rachel as he started to walk away, and she just shrugged. Dumbledore led Harry through the castle and to the stone gargoyle.

"Hot chocolate," Dumbledore said to the gargoyle, which sprang to life and jumped to the side, revealing the spiral staircase that was slowly moving upwards by itself towards Dumbledore's office. They entered it a few seconds later, and Harry sat down in the chair in front of Dumbledore's desk, while Professor Dumbledore sat behind it.

"What do you want, Professor?" Harry asked Dumbledore.

"There are a few things I need to tell you. It's about the past, and about your parents. Are you ready to hear the truth?" Dumbledore asked him.

----------~*~----------

Author's Note: I know, I know. Another cliffhanger! But the chapter was getting long and it seemed like a good place to stop! But I promise to continue from there and then we'll go into the Quidditch practices and match – all in one chapter! So you've been warned: the next chapter will be long! (Heh heh!)

Here goes the usual "please review" part! _PLEASE REVIEW!!!!_ Please, no flames, only constructive criticism and compliments. Thank you!

Please feel free to throw rotten vegetables and fruit at me, if you think my fic is rubbish. But just make sure you include grapes, because I love 'em! 

Please feel free to put a plug in for yourself at the end of your review! 

Thank you to all the people who review!!! Feel free to e-mail me!! (Look in my bio.)

If I have left anybody out, I'm sorry! I'm only naming the people that I remember! Thank you to everyone who has reviewed.

Looking for some good fics to read? Check out my "Favourite Authors" list and "Favourite Stories" list. And PLEASE read my original stories, "The Leprechaun", and it's sequel, "Return of the Leprechaun"! I put a lot of effort into it! (Same with this one!)

Oh, and please don't ramble on about this being a Mary-Sue! So what if it is? Is it illegal to include your own name in a story? Don't worry; I'm not angry with the people who said that this was a Mary-Sue, but please don't say it anymore, okay?

Disclaimer: All characters and places (except for Rachel, who belongs to me!) are the property of "The Greatest Author To Walk On The Face Of This Planet", also known as J.K. Rowling. THANKS, J.K. ROWLING! WE OWE YOU ONE!

Give yourselves a pat on the back if you read all the way through this A/N!! :)


	6. ~Chapter VI~

----------------------------------------------

~Harry Potter and the Battle of Heirs~

~By Rachie.V.~__

_ _

_Warning:__ This chapter is quite long, so if you haven't got enough time to read it all, come back later!! Oh, and I said "oh my God" in here, so if that will offend anyone, I'm sorry._

_ _

_Previously:_"What do you want, Professor?" Harry asked Dumbledore.

"There are a few things I need to tell you. It's about the past, and about your parents. Are you ready to hear the truth?" Dumbledore asked him.

----------~*~----------

_Chapter VI_

_ _

"Of course I'm ready. I've been ready since my first year here!" Harry exclaimed.

"All right. Well, you see, Godric Gryffindor was born in Godric's Hollow. But back then, the village was called 'Floral Peak'. When Godric became one of the Four Founders of Hogwarts, the witches and wizards in the village wanted to thank him for making a magical school for their children, so they named the village after Godric.And many years later, your parents were born there. James (your father) wondered why he was more magical and stronger than all the other wizards his age. And so his father – your grandfather – had to tell him some surprising news. Your father was the youngest descendant of Gryffindor himself."

"So you're saying that I'm a descendant of Gryffindor?" Harry asked slowly, his eyes wide.

"No, you're no longer a descendant, you're a heir. You will inherit the Gryffindor Manor, and the title of 'The Leader of the Light Side' as soon as you have graduated." Dumbledore said proudly. 

"But…but…what about you?" Harry asked, his eyes wide.

"My family has not descended form Gryffindor's blood."

"Well, prove that I am the next 'Gryffindor'," Harry said, wondering if Dumbledore had gone quite mad.

"You were born in the hometown of Gryffindor, the colour of the sparks that shot out of your wand in Ollivanders was red and gold – the colour of Gryffindor. Also, you pulled Gryffindor's sword out of the Sorting Hat in your second year; you survived the Killing Curse when you were just one year old and you are the Head Boy of Hogwarts, just like Godric. Does that convince you?"

"Um…yeah…" Harry said quietly, standing up, thinking that the conversation was over.

"Harry, there's more. You need to know why your parents were killed, and why you actually survived the Killing Curse," Dumbledore said.

"Uh, okay," Harry replied, sitting back down again, feeling nervous.

"Well, your parents knew for quite awhile that Voldemort was after them, but they didn't know entirely why. There are a few reasons. 1: Lily was the most powerful witch in the world, but James was _not_ the most powerful wizard in the world. He and Voldemort had the same strength, and Voldemort was scared that, put together, Lily and James could defeat him. So, he asked them to come over to the Dark side. They refused, so he wanted to get rid of them. He killed your father, –" Harry scowled " - but he didn't need to kill your mother. As I said, _put together_ they could defeat Voldemort, but not just Lily. So, you mother could live – as long as Voldemort killed you. Why? Because you have your mother's strength _combined_ with James's. So you have double the power. And as you grew up, your power grew too, because of your training at Hogwarts. Your parents knew this reason, as well as reason 2. Reason 2: Voldemort loved Lily - as simple as that. He was going to ask her to marry him, but before he could, Lily got married to James. Voldemort wanted to kill James, so he did. As I said, Lily could have lived, but she wanted you to live. So he killed Lily as well. And you know the story; he turned his wand on you, the plan backfired, and so forth. There is, however, _another_ reason to why your parents died. James had one brother – and his name was Tom Marvolo Potter. Now, Tom was a really nasty boy - always getting into trouble. Well, one summer, when Tom was 12 years old, Tom threw the Cruciatus curse at an elderly woman. As you know, any use of an Unforgivable Curse on a fellow human being is a life sentence in Azkaban. James saw this happening, and told their parents. So, Tom went to Azkaban. James's parents were so ashamed to have a son in Azkaban, that they disowned Tom. From the day that Tom was thrown in Azkaban, he had absolutely _loathed_ James, because James told his parents what Tom had done. He wanted to kill James. And of course, there was the reason that James married Lily that made Tom's hatred so strong that he wanted to make sure there were no Potters left. Then one day, the Riddles came along, wanting a son interested in the Dark Arts, because they were a Dark family at heart. They acted nicely around the public, but they were not nice inside. So they adopted Tom, and he grew up in a Dark family and became so swallowed up into the Dark Arts, that he became more powerful than anyone could ever dream of. He changed his name to Lord Voldemort, and you know the story of how he became more and more powerful with every killing till he got to you. But you, Harry, are the last living Potter; a Potter that has been destined to kill Voldemort," Dumbledore finished. Harry just sat there, gawking at the Headmaster. Of course, he knew that people had said that he was destined to kill Voldemort, but he never actually believed it. But now that he thought about it, why hadn't he realised it sooner? He had escaped Voldemort six times (including the last two years), and each time he had escaped, he had never killed Voldemort. Harry spoke to Dumbledore slowly, as if Dumbledore were a small child who was crazy.

"You…have…got…to…be…joking." To Harry's surprise, Dumbledore laughed.

"I'm afraid not, my friend. I'm afraid not. And yet, there's more."

"Really?"

"Yes. You need to know why you survived the Avada Kedavra curse," Dumbledore said quietly. Harry gulped. "You see, because Lily and James's powers are combined into you, that means you have double the power.And that means that you are more powerful than me. In fact, I believe that you are more powerful than Voldemort. But I never thought that you were powerful enough to escape the Avada Kedavra curse. But you defied all odds, and here you are, alive today."

"Yeah, but you said that the reason for that is because my Mum died to save me," Harry argued.

"That is partly it, but not all. Voldemort only has a limit, and his limit does not stretch to yours. Your mother died to save you, yes, but that scar is not a scar that came from an evil curse. That scar came from Voldemort. You see, since Voldemort was James's brother, he is your Uncle, –" Harry put his head in his hands "- and family should not kill family. That scar hurts when your Uncle wants to kill part of his family – which means you. But you are more special than that. You survived the Avada Kedavra curse because you care for Voldemort." Dumbledore stopped talking and let the news sink in. Harry lifted his head out of his hands in surprise.

"I do NOT!" he yelled. Fawkes gave a squawk. "He killed my parents! Why should I care for him?"

"Because he is your Uncle. You cannot hate a part of your family; no matter how hard you try. And, of course, you also survived simply because you are more _powerful_ than he is. But the being your uncle is the reason why your wands are brothers and why you look similar. You also act similar. You, Voldemort and James all have an urge to break rules and do something out of the ordinary. But no matter how hard you try, you cannot totally hate Voldemort."

"Maybe what you're saying is true. But I still hate Voldemort enough to kill him," Harry whispered.

"Oh, yes, you are allowed to kill him. There is a law made especially for you, saying that you are the only one who is allowed to use the Avada Kedavra curse on a fellow human being! But, of course, you are only allowed to use the curse on Voldemort," Dumbledore said. "Well, that is all for today. You may go," Dumbledore added, as if they had just had a normal conversation. Harry nodded.

"Thank you. I'll go down to breakfast now," Harry said hoarsely. He _still_ couldn't cry. He didn't know why. He dearly wanted to, sometimes, but he couldn't. 

Harry had reached the Great Hall, and saw that only a couple of people had arrived since he had left for Dumbledore's office. He looked at his watch. It said 6:00 am. He sat next to Rachel.

"Well? What happened?" she demanded, taking a look at his face, which showed sheer amazement. Harry explained, and by the time he had finished, the Great Hall was full and their mouths were stuffed with porridge. He told Ron and Hermione the story, and they were amazed. Rachel's reaction had been the same. Then Rachel and Harry headed of towards the Quidditch pitch ("You shouldn't be allowed to skip classes, you know!" Hermione had called after them.), while the rain continued to pelt down. They reached the Quidditch pitch, after a few minutes of being blown about by the gale, saw that the Quidditch pitch had been surrounded by a huge silver shield.

"Hey, captain!" called Ben, a fifth year Beater. Harry had completely forgotten that he was the new Quidditch captain.

"Hi, Gryffindors. Hi, Madam Hooch! Why are you here?" Harry asked Madam Hooch.

"Because you're here! Safety procedures," she answered. Harry nodded, but inside, he was dying to roll his eyes. 

They practiced Quidditch all day, diving, turning, spinning and a lot of other moves. Harry did his usual spectacular performance, and Rachel was a _brilliant_ Keeper. She didn't even miss one Quaffle. But a Bludger did knock her off her broom once, though. Fortunately, she wasn't hurt.

The silver dome kept the rain out of the Quidditch pitch while they practiced, and no balls escaped. Finally, by nightfall, the rain slowed down to a stop - just in time for the match. 

"That's really good news, huh _captain_?" Rachel teased, watching Harry walk around the pitch, prodding the ground.

"Mmm," he replied, not noticing Rachel had been making fun of him. "This ground is soft, because of the rain, so obviously, we won't have a very good kick-off, and it's dark, so the Snitch may be harder for me to see, unless they light up the pitch…" Harry kept muttering to himself, until Rachel burst out laughing.

"What?" Harry asked.

"L-look!" Rachel gasped, tears of laughter rolling down her face, and pointed towards the great oak doors at the front of the castle. Harry burst out laughing once he had seen them. They were laughing at the Gryffindor students, each who had died their hair half red and half gold. 

"Look at McGonagall!" Harry wheezed, pointing to the Professor, who had also died her hair, but she had taken the one step further. She had out a spell on her robes, so that they glowed red and gold, the colours changing every 2 seconds. 

A few minutes later, all of the school had come down onto the pitch. The sun had disappeared hours ago, instead, the stars were peeking through and over the many, many clouds that were sill around. Harry saw Dumbledore's beard shining out of the crowds, and jogged up to him.

"Oh, hello, Harry! I expect you are well prepared for this match against Ravenclaw?" he said cheerfully, as Harry reached him. (A/N: If I have mentioned this match before, and I have said it was Gryffindor against a different House, I am sorry! I wanted it against Ravenclaw, but I might have mentioned a different House before! K)

"Yeah, we're prepared. But, Professor, could you do me a favour?" Harry asked.

"It depends. What is this 'favour' you wish for me to do for you?" Dumbledore asked, his eyes twinkling merrily.

"Could you light up the pitch for us? I mean, this is the first time we have played in a Quidditch match at-" Harry glanced at his watch "- 8:30pm, and as I – or the Ravenclaw Seeker – have no chance of seeing the Snitch in the dark, this match could go on until the early hours of the morning! So could you somehow light up the pitch?"

"Why, certainly. _Fairglomunda!_" Dumbledore called, pointing his wand at the sky. One hundred fairies flew out of his wand, all of them glowing a brilliant white light. They flew higher than the Goals, and danced around in the sky. Light flooded onto the pitch, so that it looked as close to daylight as you could get without it actually being daytime. 

"Thank you, sir."

"Your welcome Harry. Now, I know that I'm not supposed to take sides, but make sure you try to win, okay? I'd like to see you win the House Cup. After all – Charlie Weasley was not as good as you – and he could have gone into the English Quidditch team if he hadn't gone off chasing dragons! I don't think I'm going to become such a popular request as the new Minister of Magic anymore, especially not after this year," Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling. Harry knew what he was getting at.

"No thanks, sir. I don't really want to become the Minister," he said truthfully.

"I know. And I also know that the occupation you pick up will be something you exceed at." Harry was confused at Dumbledore's choice of words, but barley had time to think it over, when suddenly, a voice called out, "HARRY POTTER! Are you planning on taking part in this match, or what?" It was Madam Hooch. Harry laughed.

"Of course I am! How could you think that I wouldn't?! Harry called, conjuring up a tissue and pretending to cry. The crowd laughed, and so did Madam Hooch. 

"Potter – either play or leave. We do not have time for comedians," a voice snarled from the stands. Of course, it was Snape. Harry just scowled at him. Earlier that year, Harry had told himself to stand up to Snape. Harry walked up to Madam Hooch. He looked at the new Ravenclaw Seeker, who was the captain for her team. 

"Congratulations on making it to the place of a Seeker," Harry said to the girl, shaking her hand.

"Thank you. My name is Maxine," Maxine replied, shaking Harry's hand. "And let me say it is a pleasure to meet you," she added, glancing at Harry's scar. Harry just smiled, but wanted to sigh. He _hated_ people doing that. 

"Mount you brooms!" called Madam Hooch. Harry jumped onto his broom, gave one last smile to Maxine and concentrated on the game. 

Madam Hooch raised the whistle to her lips. "3…2…1…_tweet!"_ They all kicked off - Madam Hooch immediately rose with them - and they were off. Harry slowly glided higher than the others, watching out for the Snitch, his eyes getting used to the fairies' light. Maxine obviously had the same tactic as Cho, and was keeping close to him. Harry rolled his eyes. That was a foolish thing to do, when Harry knew how to get rid of Seekers who did that. He flew about for a while, keeping Maxine in the corner of his eye, as she flew next to him. Harry noticed that her broom was a Firebolt – which wasn't the latest model anymore. There were several other versions of brooms after that, but Harry's broom was the latest - a Streak 5000. He had bought it for half-price, because he was "Harry Potter".

His broom had double the speed of a Firebolt, and since he was an extremely good flyer, he could turn it with ease. Bad turners would have difficulty using the broom, as it was so fast that it would slip out of control at the slightest mistake. The English Quidditch team had bought them, as well.

Suddenly, Harry noticed a Bludger streaking closer and closer to Zack – a Chaser for the Gryffindors. Where were the Beaters? They were too busy controlling another Bludger, which kept circling around their heads. He had to do something. He suddenly aimed his broom at the Chaser, and shot forwards. He sped closer to Zack, and Zack was surprised.

"Go get a goal!" Harry cried. Zack got the picture, and sped off before Harry had hit him. Harry hit the Bludger, and it spiralled off, which was what Harry had meant to do. He wasn't hurt at all. All the while, the new commentator had been shouting out what had been going on. The new commentator was Ginny Weasley! She was quite a Lee Jordan, when it came to commentating. Professor McGonagall had been made the second commentator.

"And the new Gryffindor Chaser, Zack Thomas, has the Quaffle! But – no! The Ravenclaw beater Frank has hit a Bludger towards him – go Zack! Don't let it get you! WHAT ON EARTH?! Why is Harry Potter about to fly straight into Zack? WHERE ARE THE BEATERS?? Harry flies to about an inch away from Zack – Zack speeds off towards the Ravenclaw goals – Harry knocks the Bludger off-course – Zack gets closer to the goals – he shoots – HE SCORES!! 10 – 0 to Gryffindor!! RACHEL! Stop waltzing with your broom! You have a job to do! Zack does a victory lap, Harry's doing loop-de-loops and the Gryffindor team are cheering. And – WHAT? The Ravenclaw Beater attacks Rachel! FOUL!!! You cheating little –"

"Ginny…" Professor McGonagall warned.

"Sorry, Professor. And there's a free shot to Gryffindor.Gerri flies up with the Quaffle, she shoots – she SCORES!!! 20 – 0 in favour of Gryffindor!" 

Ginny continued to commentate, while Harry only half listened. Maxine was still following him, and he still hadn't seen the Snitch. To see how much Maxine relied on him, Harry sped off as fast as he could, which was more than Maxine could handle. Harry pelted towards the other end of the pitch, while Maxine never gave up and kept on flying behind him. Maxine was going faster than she could keep control – obviously thinking Harry had seen the Snitch, so when Harry turned his broom _very_ sharply, Maxine kept on flying and nearly went head first into the stands. While she got control of her broom again, Harry had flown off into the crowd of other players. While the Seekers were doing this, Ginny was going overboard with excitement. 

"And Ravenclaw miss a goal. OH MY GOSH! HARRY'S SEEN THE SNITCH!!" Murmurs spread through the crowd like wildfire, and the other players were hanging in mid-air, watching. Ginny continued. "He streaks up the field, he must be getting close to the Snitch now! Faster and faster – that Streak 5000 is super fast! Maxine is trying to get there before Harry – as if that'll work – she's going out of control! She can't manage that speed – Harry's shooting along like a jet – he has to be close, now. Harry is a metre away from the crowd – and he…_TURNS_?! Why has he turned? Maxine goes flying into the crowd and Harry goes away, grinning?" Ginny was confused, but Professor McGonagall burst out laughing.

"Whaaaaat?" Ginny asked.

"He was bluffing!" Professor McGonagall wheezed, giggling.

Harry was looking around, trying to see the Snitch, when Maxine suddenly flew into view.

"Thank you for making me look like a fool. I really appreciate it," Maxine said sarcastically.

"Hey, it was your own fault for following me!" Harry called back. He flew around the pitch for awhile, Maxine close by. She still hadn't learnt her lesson. After half an hour of flying around, Harry saw a flash of gold near the ground next to the goal posts where Rachel was. He lay flat on his broom and dove. The world around him blurred and he was faintly aware of the commentating going on. 

"HARRY REALLY _HAS SEEN THE SNITCH!! Go, Harry! He flies closer and closer and –" Ginny was still commentating._

- Harry was close to the Snitch now, but suddenly, a broom handle flew into his face, cutting the skin on his right cheekbone. Harry put his right hand over the wound, and stopped flying. He took his hand away from his cheek, and saw blood on his fingers. He hovered in midair, while Ginny was going overboard. The Snitch disappeared.

"FOUL!!!!! Reynolds cut Harry badly in the cheek!! How could you? You're a Ravenclaw! Not a Slytherin! –" Boos came from the Slytherin side of the crowds at these words "- HARRY'S BLEEDING!! You dirty, horrible little –"

"_Ginny…_" warned Professor McGonagall.

"All right, Professor, but still! Harry's bleeding! Aww, come on, Madam Hooch! Foul!! All right! A foul to Gryffindor!"

"Ginny! Be fair," Professor McGonagall scolded. 

"All right, Professor. So a stupid, unfair foul-"

"_Ginny!_"

"Yes, ma'am. So the cheating –" 

"_GINNY_!"

"Okay, okay. So Harry is badly cut, which could happen to anyone, I'm sure," Ginny called out through clenched teeth.

While all this was going on, Rachel was working extra hard to prevent Ravenclaw from winning. Two Ravenclaw Chasers were throwing the Quaffle with so much energy that Rachel had to dive left and right. She was working flat out. She missed it a few times, but she caught most.

Harry was still bleeding, but a golden gleam caught his eye. The Snitch! It was near the fairies in the sky. He lay flat on his broom and pushed. The broom shot upwards, and he started to go very fast, with Maxine back at his heels. The world once again blurred, and his robes billowed out around his ankles while he was getting closer – and closer. He heard Ginny's commentating faintly.

"Gryffindor's in the lead by 70 – 50. Oh, my lord! Harry's doing it again! He's getting close –" But the rest of it flew out of Harry's mind. He was getting nearer and nearer – the fairies' light was too blinding – he closed his eyes - he stretched out his hand – and felt his fingers enclose around the Snitch.

"HE'S DONE IT!!!! HARRY'S DONE IT! GRYFFINDOR WIN, 220 – 50!" Cheers exploded through the Gryffindor area, while the red and gold hairstyles glowed brightly.Professor McGonagall was smiling down at Harry. He nodded at Professor McGonagall, and was enveloped into a hug by the Gryffindors, who had made it down to him. Rachel fought her way over and joined them. They all broke apart, and Harry looked down and gasped. His robes were flecked with blood. Harry felt his cheek, which was still bleeding. He jogged over to Madam Pomfrey who was in the stands, attending to a Ravenclaw Chaser, who had a black eye.

"Oh, not _again!_ It's always you, isn't it? Let's get you fixed up," Madam Pomfrey sighed. Harry just grinned, despite the pain. Madam Pomfrey finished with the Chaser, and a second later, his cheek had healed, but his robes were still flecked with blood. Dumbledore walked up to him.

"Harry. Well played, I must say. Just like your father. Charlie couldn't have done that," Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling.

"Thanks," Harry replied. Maxine walked up to him.

"Oh, Harry! Wonderful catch. Sorry I snapped at you before - I get a little too competitive in Quidditch. Well done!" she said, shaking his hand.

"Thank you," he answered, shaking back.

"I need to work on my turning. But still, I tried. Well, I must go. Sorry about my teammate who hurt you. He is _much_ more competitive than I am," Maxine said, scratching her neck.

"Yes, well…" he didn't finish his sentence.

"SIR!!" Something flung itself against Harry's knees.

"Dobby! What are you doing here?" Harry asked, crouching down.

"Dobby wanted to see Harry Potter play Quidditch. Sir is very good, but sir! Gary Reynolds has hurt Harry Potter! I is very disappointed in Gary Reynolds. I is sorry for you, Harry Potter. You has a new enemy, Dobby thinks," Dobby answered.

"Yeah, me too," Harry replied. Suddenly, Ron, Hermione and Rachel walked up to him.

"Well done!" Hermione squealed.

"Good on ya, Harry!" Ron yelled, punching Harry on the arm.

"Well played! You're very good, Harry," Rachel said.

"So are you!" Harry said to her.

"Are you kidding? I let the scoundrels get away with five scores!"

"We saw that two of the Chasers were both trying to score at the same time! Two Quaffles were coming at you every second! You couldn't have saved them all," Hermione said, putting an arm around her shoulder.

"Suppose you're right," Rachel said, putting an arm around Hermione's shoulder.

"Hermione's always right," Ron teased. Hermione swatted his arm. He put an arm around her shoulder. She turned bright red. Harry laughed. Rachel put an arm around Harry's shoulder. Harry turned bright red. Ron laughed.

"Ooh, somebody's got it in for the new girl!" he mocked.

"SHUT UP!" Harry and Rachel yelled. Ron grinned.

"Harry, please talk to me privately in the common room in a few minutes. I need to tell you something," Rachel called over her shoulder as she and Hermione ran up to the castle.

"Woo!" Ron said to Harry.

"I don't think it's about that, actually," Harry replied, and told Ron about the dream he had in the holidays. 

"Do you think that she's going to say something that Dumbledore told you this morning?" Ron asked.

"I don't know. Oh my God – look!" Harry yelled, pointing to a Dementor that was slowly coming towards them. Everybody was already inside, and the Quidditch pitch was no longer lit up. The lights from the castle were dim; the castle was quite far away. The Dementor approached Ron first. 

"Ron! No, don't pass out – " Harry started to say, but it was too late. Ron was out cold.

"Oh, great. Here we go," Harry muttered, as the voices swelled into his head once again. For some reason, they were louder than ever.__

_"Not Harry! Not Harry! Please – I'll do anything –"_

_"Stand aside – stand aside, girl –"_

"Expecto patronum, expecto patronum…" Harry continually called out, thinking that Sirius was free – he wouldn't have to live with the Dursleys ever again.

_"Lily, take Harry and go! It's him! Go! Run! I'll hold him off-"_

_The sounds of someone stumbling from a room – a door bursting open – a cackle of high-pitched laughter -_

"EXPECTO PATRONUM! EXPECTO PATRONUM!" Harry yelled, and a fierce, white stag shot out of his wand and raced at the Dementor. It wasn't a Boggart, for the stag – or Prongs, as Harry preferred to call his Patronus – was about to attack the Dementor, when the Dementor retreated and glided into the Forbidden Forest. Harry turned and ran over Ron and pulled at Ron's arm. Harry saw a large snake on the ground. It was a tree snake that usually stayed in the Forbidden Forest.

"Help me pull my friend to the castle," Harry hissed in Parseltongue.

"Sssssure. Why did he passss out?" the snake asked.

"A Dementor came up to us. Ron passed out when he saw it," Harry answered.

"Oh, I ssssee," the snake answered. It wrapped its body around Ron's legs and pulled. With its help, Harry and the snake were able to pull Ron into the Great Hall.

"Thank you," Harry said in Parseltongue.

"Your welcome. Ssssee you around, I guessss," the snake answered, and slithered away into the darkness. Harry, still holding Ron's arms, dragged him through the castle up to the Hospital Wing.

"What happened here?" Madam Pomfrey asked - glad Harry wasn't the one that was hurt.

"He saw a Dementor and passed out. I fought the Dementor, and it went into the Forbidden Forest," Harry answered.

"You're quite your father's son. Always doing things that the other students didn't or couldn't. I hate to say it, but you remind me of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named as well," Madam Pomfrey said, shivering.

"Well, I am his nephew – unfortunately," Harry answered.

~*~

"Where _were_ you?" Rachel asked. Harry had walked back to the Gryffindor common room, with Ron following. He was fine – he had just freaked out. Harry told the story, and Rachel burst into tears.

"What?" Harry asked.

"It-it's just that – your Patronus – you said it was a stag – which is what your father transformed into. It's all very sad," she said, sniffling.

"How did you know about him being an Animagus?" demanded Harry, Ron and Hermione. 

"Oh dear. I guess I have to tell you now, don't I?" Rachel asked.

"Yes, you do," Harry said fiercely.

"Don't get angry! I'm going to tell you now," Rachel said. She fluffed up a pillow behind her on the couch where they were all sitting and started to tell her story.

----------~*~----------

_Author's Note:_ Did you like it? Sorry it was so long and that I took awhile in posting it up, but I had to rewrite some parts of the Quidditch match. Don't worry, I will type up the conversation they are about to have! The next chapter might be LONG too.

Okay, now. _PLEASE REVIEW!!!!_ It would really make my day, but I only want constructive criticism and compliments. But if you thought that it stunk, then please feel free to throw rotten vegetables and fruit at the screen – just as long as you include grapes, since I LOVE 'em! If you wish to e-mail me, then [click here][1]. Thanks!

Now, I would like to thank _ALL_ reviewers SO much! Please read their fics. 

Okie days. Now, _PLEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAASE_ read my original story "The Leprechaun" which is very short and it's sequel "Return of the Leprechaun". I put a lot of effort into them (as well as this one) and I am about to start a song fic! (Do not worry – I will also keep working on this fic!) I really hope you like this so far. 

DO NOT comment on this being a Mary-Sue, because if too many people say that, I may stop writing this fic - so you have been warned. 

_Disclaimer:_ I do not own anything except Rachel. All the rest belong to J.K. Rowling. I would like to thank her for letting us use her characters on this site!

Okay, please give yourself a pat on the back if you have made it all the way through this A/N!! **Claps enthusiastically to the people who have read it all** Thank you!

   [1]: mailto:rachievom@aol.com



	7. ~Chapter VII~

~Harry Potter and the Battle of Heirs~

~By Rachie.V.~__

_ _

_Author's Note:_ I know you all hate reading A/Ns and want to get on with the fic, so I'll just say that I'm sorry for being so evil by putting in all those cliffhangers! J

_ _

_Previously:_"It's – it's just that – that your Patronus – you said it was a stag – which is what your father transformed into. It's all very sad," Rachel said, sniffling.

"How did you know about him being an Animagus?" demanded Harry, Ron and Hermione. 

"Oh dear. I guess I have to tell you now, don't I?" Rachel asked.

"Yes, you do," Harry said fiercely.

"Don't get angry! I'm going to tell you now," Rachel said. She fluffed up a pillow behind her on the couch where they were all sitting and started to tell her story.

_Chapter VII_

_------------~*~------------_

"Well, you see, when your parents, Harry, were at Hogwarts, my Mum was at Hogwarts, too. She was in the same year as Lily and James, in fact, she was Lily's best friend. My Mum's name is Josie. Anyway, Lily and Josie (I'll call my Mum Josie, while I tell you all of this) could talk to each other about _anything_. And they did. When Lily went on her adventures with the Marauders, she would tell Josie everything once she had come back. Josie eventually became one of the gang with Lily and the Marauders, and they did almost everything together. Well, the Marauders decided to tell Lily and Josie about how they were Animagi. So that's how I knew – because my Mum told me all of her adventures. But I still know more things about the past. Things that you have been longing to hear, Harry," Rachel said quietly.

_"The dream! The dream!"_ Harry's mind screamed at him.

"Well, Ron and I will leave, then, seeing as this is about Harry," Hermione said, smiling and pulling Ron over to a game of wizard chess.

"All right, Harry. Well, when Wormtail blew up that street full of Muggles, my – my Dad was along with them. My dad's name was Ben Hay – and he had gone to Hogwarts, too. He had been pretty close to Remus Lupin. So Remus and I had a special type of bond while I grew up. But there are still some things that you need to know, badly. I know that you loved your Mum and Dad a lot. I was your best friend when we were babies. And the thing that you need to know? I know of a spell that can bring back your parents. But it will include killing someone you partly hate, and saving a hated life. Don't ask me -" Rachel said at the look on his face "- but that is the way my mother put it – and she is a Professor Trelawny type of person – but she's not that bad. And the secret about your past? Well, your mother fell pregnant just after she left Hogwarts – but she wasn't carrying you. She was carrying her daughter. But the thing is, your older sister was never born. A Death Eater put the Cruciatus curse on Lily when she was expecting, and it damaged the baby, and so your mum had a miscarriage. If it wasn't for that Death Eater, you would have a sister," Rachel finished. Harry scowled.

"Who is this Death Eater? Is he still alive?" he demanded.

"Yes, he's still alive, but…oh, no, Harry! You can't go after him! Please, I won't tell you! You'll just put yourself in danger!" Rachel cried. Ron and Hermione looked up.

"What's going on?" Hermione asked, she and Ron walking over.

"Do you want me to tell them?" Rachel asked. Harry nodded, still scowling. Rachel explained, and once she had finished, Hermione gasped and hugged Harry. Ron scowled at what Hermione was doing.

"Rachel, please. Tell me who this Death Eater is," Harry begged, still being hugged by Hermione.

"I – I can't. You – you'll just put yourself in danger by – by going after him!" Rachel gasped.

"Fine, be that way. I don't understand why Dumbledore didn't tell me," Harry snarled.

"Oh, Harry!" cried Hermione, still holding onto Harry. He pulled her away, and saw tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Shh, it's okay, Hermione! What's wrong?" Harry asked her, giving her a quick hug. When he did that, he felt something deep inside that he had never felt before, and his spine tingled. He realized that he suddenly didn't like Rachel as much as he had thought. His mind gasped. 

"_What on earth are you thinking? You can't be in love with your best friend's girlfriend!" _Harry's mind yelled. Harry's eyes widened. To forget about what his mind had said to him, Harry turned to Ron.

"Hey, Ron! Please, tell us what happened when you were kidnapped," he said. They hadn't gotten the chance to hear the story, because of the schoolwork and Quidditch practices that Rachel and Harry were to go to.

"All right. Well, you see, one night in the holidays, my Dad was off work, but Percy was still at his office. Bill and Charlie were where they usually were, and the rest of us were just sat around our kitchen table, drinking cups of hot chocolate. Then the door burst open, and You-Know-Who walked in." Ron gave a shudder."He thought that you, Harry, were there, because it was the holidays. But Dumbledore wouldn't let you stay over, in case this happened. You-Know-Who demanded to know where Harry was staying, but we wouldn't tell him. So he put the body-bind curse on all of us, and took us to this creepy house on a hill. He kept on torturing us with the Cruciatus curse, but we never told him anything. Then one night, a house-elf came in, and she saw us all unable to move. She took the curse off us, and she said that she would be killed for doing this, but she said she was on the good side, and she was glad to help us. Dad found a key on the chair where Voldemort usually sat when he came in to torture us, and Dad put it in the lock to the door of our room, and it unlocked! Then we escaped out of the house, and travelled through forests and swamps just to get home, but then Mum realized that You-Know-Who would just come back and find us there. So we agreed to come here at Hogwarts, and my family has been staying here ever since. Some of Dumbledore's friends have been putting safety curses around our house ever since to ensure that we stay safe. The people out of my family who aren't in Hogwarts anymore will go back tomorrow," Ron finished. Harry suddenly realized that he and Hermione were still hugging, and had been while they listened to Ron's story. They blushed and let go, and Ron glowered at them. 

"Did I just see what I thought I saw? Has the famous Harry Potter stolen my girlfriend?" Ron hissed.

"We were never going out! Who said that we were?" Hermione shrieked. Ron turned bright red. 

"Well, then. Hermione, will you go out with me?" Harry asked her.

'Certainly, Harry," Hermione answered, hugging him and looking up into his bright green eyes.

"Rachel, will you go out with me?" Ron asked.

"Sure," Rachel answered, dreamily staring up into Ron's eyes.

"Well, now that that's sorted out, are we all still friends?" Harry asked.

"Yep," Ron, Rachel and Hermione answered.

"But I thought you had in for Rachel," Ron asked Harry quietly.

"That's what I thought, until Hermione hugged me," Harry answered. Ron grinned. 

"I dunno what made me like Rachel," Ron said. Harry grinned, then his eyes widened.

"Rachel! I just remembered, you – you said that you could – you could bring my- my parents back," Harry stammered, thinking that this could _not_ be happening to him, after hearing Dumbledore say that there is no spell to revive the dead.

"Yes, but _you_ have to do it, not me. You have to kill somebody only _partly _hated, and save a _fully _hated life," Rachel said. 

"Huh?" Harry asked.

"Exactly," Rachel replied.

"Um, I need to go to bed to…erm…think," Harry said. He walked over to Hermione, gave her a kiss goodnight on the cheek and walked up to the boys' dorms. Ron copied him, kissing Rachel on the cheek, and once inside the boys' dorms, they could hear Hermione and Rachel burst into a fit of giggles. Harry, however, just put his head in his hands, and took a few deep breaths.

"I…can…get…my…parents…back," Harry said slowly.

"Yeah…but isn't that a good thing?" Ron asked, confused.

"Of course it is…but…it's just so…_impossible_!" Harry quietly.

"No, it isn't! You heard what Rachel said, you can make them come back!" Ron said excitedly.

"You're right. Listen, I'm tired, and I need to get some sleep. I'll see you in the morning," Harry said, yawning. 

"Okay. G'night," Ron said, closing the curtains to his four-poster.

"Goodnight," Harry replied, changing into his pyjamas, hopping into the bed and falling asleep almost immediately.

_ _

  


The days slipped by, and every day, Harry's mind was on his parents. He couldn't concentrate on classes, and wondered about how he had to get his parents back. He had to kill somebody he only partly hated, and save a hated life. He didn't have a _clue_ what that meant.

On Sunday, a week before the next Quidditch match between Gryffindor and Slytherin, Harry noticed that Gryffindor were in the lead to win the Quidditch Cup. This cheered him up slightly, and he was glad he had the Quidditch practices to keep his mind of having the chance to have his parents alive again.

"Okay, now. Gerri, you have to follow these tracks, Rachel, try your best at keeping that Quaffle away from your goals, Eddie, you help Gerri…" Harry continued to talk to his fellow teammates, while they nodded and yawned, as it was early. 

"Harry, c'mon, it's early. How're we supposed to remember this?" asked Eddie, a third year Chaser.

"Well, if you don't, Slytherin will win, won't they? Do you _want_ Slytherin to win the Quidditch Cup?" Harry said angrily.

"Okay, okay. We're listening! We're listening!" cried Kyle, a Beater. 

"That's better. Now," Harry began, pointing to a chart with a quill. "These are your tracks, Gerri. Try to follow these, and Eddie, you try and follow these tracks, too…" Harry continued. A few minutes later, the whole team was fully awake and ready. They flew onto the pitch and practiced their moves until they had fully memorised the moves. 

"Good work, team! You earned your breakfast," Harry called to them, as they ran up to the castle.

"Thanks, coach," Gerri called back to him. Harry nodded to her in reply. He walked slowly up to the castle, and once he had reached the Gryffindor tower, he decided to look through his photo album that Hagrid had given him in his first year. He brought it down, settled himself on the couch and looked through it. Hegot to a picture of him and his parents together in their house in Godric's Hollow. They were smiling and waving. Harry let the album slide off his knees and to the floor, and he put his head in his hands. The portrait of the Fat Lady swung open, and he heard somebody gasp.

"Oh, Harry," he heard Hermione whisper. Harry looked up out of his hands and saw Hermione running towards him. She put her arms around him and didn't let go.

"Hermione," Harry said, pulling her away.

"What is it?' Hermione whispered.

"I have to tell you something," he answered.

"Well, go on, then," Hermione said softly.

"I need to tell you that you are very special to me. I didn't have anybody who loved me before you became my girlfriend. I mean, Ron's great, but he's a best friend. But you actually love me, and I appreciate that. You are the only person I have loved totally since Voldemort murdered my Mum and Dad," Harry said softly. (Hermione flinched at Voldemort's name.)

"Oh, Harry!" cried Hermione, throwing her arms around Harry's neck and sobbing into his shoulder. He put his arms around her waist, and she sobbed until Harry pulled her away. He wiped the tears away with his sleeve, and, his arms still around her waist, asked her what was wrong.

"That was so sad and beautiful, you are so special to me, but I never knew that you needed someone to love, and – that was just so beautiful and sad," she started crying again, but Harry kissed her on the lips softly.

"Hey, baby, it's okay. I should be the one crying, so why are you?" he asked her quietly.

"I know, but…why aren't you crying?" she asked, sniffling.

"I don't know. There are times like this when I want to, but I can't. I don't know why," Harry answered her. She smiled. 

"Oh well," she said. They just kept hugging each other, Hermione crying into Harry's shoulder, until they heard some whispers around them. They looked up, and saw the whole of Gryffindor watching them. Harry pulled Hermione away, picked up his photo album, and looked at the page that it had opened up at. It was the same one that had made Harry upset. He suddenly stood up and fled through the corridors of the castle, and down to the lake. He sat there, throwing pebbles into the lake, until he saw Hermione walking over to him.

"Sorry I ran away," Harry said.

"It's okay. I understand," Hermione answered, siting down next to him.

"I love you," Harry whispered, putting his arms around her waist.

"I love _you_," Hermione said, snuggling up to him. They sat there for awhile, Harry glad to have somebody so special in his life at last.

----------~*~----------

Author's Note: **Sniffle** That was sad, wasn't it? Well, I hope you liked it! _PLEASE_ review, using constructive criticism and compliments only, NO FLAMES!! THANK YOU to all reviewers!! Please feel free to throw rotten vegetables and fruit, as long as you include fresh grapes, because I love them!! Yum. If you want to e-mail me, click [][1]here.

If you want some good fics to read, check out my Favourites!! Especially the first Starlight, who has an _incredible_ HP fic!! And Caitlyn, Jilliana, Elani Wrapdon, ~**Twink**~, HGWeasley, Hermione_silver_Weasley…there are so many I want to thank, so if you have _reviewed_, or I _know you_, sorry if I left you out!! PLEASE read my original (and short) story, "The Leprechaun" and it's (kind of long) sequel "Return of the Leprechaun"!!

Disclaimer: I only own: Gerri, Eddie, Kyle, Rachel, the plot and all people and things you do not recognize. All of the stuff you _do_ recognize, it's J.K. Rowling's!! (The goddess!) 

Chapter 8 coming soon!!!!

   [1]: mailto:rachievom@aol.com



	8. ~Chapter VIII~

I got a review that wasn't too nice, and if I get too many, I might stop writing this fic

~Harry Potter and the Battle of Heirs~

~By Rachie.V.~__

_ _

_Author's Note:_ Hi! I'm back! Sorry for the delay, but I got a review that wasn't too nice, and if I get too many, I might stop writing this fic. If you want me to continue writing this, please say so in your review. PLEASE, I want nice reviews!! If it was bad, say why. Okay? Thank you. J To the person who said, "That was umm…" - you could have told me what was wrong with the chapter, instead of saying what you did. If you have a flame, then don't expect me to read your fics if you have any, as I have asked over and over to have constructive criticism instead. Sorry to lecture you, but these two particular reviews that I don't like have made me angry. But to the people who have said nice things or have offered ideas and given me constructive criticism, you are the ones who rule. You guys really make me happy, and the more reviews, the faster my chapters come! Thanks to the nice people! **Bows** Oh, and I just broke up with my boyfriend, and he's being a jerk, so that and the two not-so-nice reviews have made me rather cross. Sorry! K Oh, and I have the word "God" in here a couple of times, so if that offends anyone, sorry! Enjoy! J

_Chapter VIII_

_B__ranches scratched Hermione's face as she ran through the Forbidden Forest. She kept running, but she couldn't find a way out. Everything was dark, but fairies dimly lit up the ground. Suddenly, a gust of wind made Hermione's robes billow out around her, and a voice carried along with the wind. It was soft and gentle, and it wasn't singing, but it was talking in rhythm. _

_ _

_"You're true love is knocking on death's door,_

_But it is important that you ignore_

_The nagging feeling in your head_

_That says your true love will end up dead."_

_ _

_Hermione gasped. Her true love was Harry! But - no, they said that he wouldn't die! Or did they? But still, the song continued._

_ _

_"You need to believe he has the power -_

_As harsh as a sword; as soft as a flower_

_But still - he could die,_

_Killed by the Dark side_

_You cannot change the future_

_But you can help by being a tutor._

_Tell him that he can accomplish_

_What the world has always wished._

_By doing this _

_It shall be bliss_

_To realize what true love can do_

_In the face of Dark pursuit."_

_ _

_Hermione spun around and around, but she wasn't able to see anybody. The words kept sending tingles down her spine. "What do you mean?" she yelled into the warm, night air. The voice answered with the last four lines of its song._

_ _

_"By doing this_

It shall be bliss

_To realize what true love can do_

_In the face of Dark pursuit."___

~*~

Hermione jerked back to the real world. She had been having a weird dream - she was in the Forbidden Forest - and she heard someone saying a poem. As she strained to remember what it was, she realized that the sun was setting, and she was snuggled up to Harry, who was throwing pebbles into the lake, which was in front of them.

"Harry! How long have I been asleep on you?" she asked, feeling the warmth from his body seep into hers. He put an arm around her shoulders.

"For about -" he checked his watch "- twenty minutes. Don't worry. Nobody's missing us," he whispered, pressing his lips to Hermione's. She shivered.

"Are you cold?" Harry asked.

_"How could I be, when I'm with you?" _Hermione asked herself, but instead, she answered with a "no".

"Ooh! Somebody's getting cuddly by the lake, aren't we?" they heard somebody squeal from behind.

"PEEVES!" yelled Harry, letting go of Hermione and pulling out his wand. Peeves cackled, popping some chewing gum. Then Harry remembered a spell that Professor Lupin - his Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher in his third year - used.

_"Waddiwasi!"_he murmured, pointing his wand at Peeves the minute he popped another bubble of chewing gum. The gum flew out of Peeves's mouth and up his left nostril.

"You'll pay for that one, Potter!" Peeves choked, zooming away.__

"Well done, Harry, but you'll never be left alone, now!" Hermione giggled.

"Oh well. As long as he pays for spying on us," Harry said, looking at Peeves's back as he zoomed up into the castle.

"Now, where were we?" Hermione asked, pulling Harry to her and kissing him softly again. He squirmed away.

"Harry! What's wrong?" Hermione asked him.

"Somebody's out here," Harry murmured, pulling his wand out again.

"You think so?" Hermione asked, pulling her wand out and clutching Harry's arm.

"No, I _know___so," Harry answered, looking into the Forbidden Forest. They heard a rustling in the bushes nearby. "RUN!" Harry shouted, pulling on Hermione's arm and sprinting full pelt towards the castle.

"Harry! What are you doing there's nothing there - AAARRRRGGGHHHHHH!!!!!" Hermione screamed as a Death Eater jumped out of the bushes where they had heard the rustling. He ran after them, shooting Unforgivable Curses at them.

"_Nyster!_" Harry yelled, throwing a curse over his shoulder. The Death Eater fell to the floor, but quickly got back up again.

Harry kept shooting curses at the Death Eater over his shoulder as he dragged Hermione behind him by the arm.

"Get in front of me and run as fast as you can to the castle. If I don't follow you a few seconds after, go and get Dumbledore!" Harry yelled to Hermione, pushing her in front of him. He gave Hermione a quick kiss on the lips.

"Just in case I don't get out of this," Harry said, as he ducked a Cruciatus curse that came at them. "GO!" Hermione didn't want to move, but she did anyway. She ran to the castle, only to see Dumbledore rushing out and down to Harry. 

"Help him, Professor!" Hermione shouted to Dumbledore. He didn't answer but continued to rush to Harry, who was having a duel with the Death Eater. Hermione couldn't move. Harry was dodging, ducking and diving away from the Cruciatus Curse and the Imperius curse. He was shooting painful-but-legal curses to the Death Eater. Dumbledore joined them, but Hermione didn't see any more, as an arm grasped her wrist and pulled her into the safety of the castle. Hermione didn't turn around to see who was pulling her, but struggled to get away from the person and to Harry's side. Tears were streaming down her face.

"Harry...Harry...Harry..." she kept on whimpering, struggling to get out of the strong grip of the person who was pulling her to an office.

The person locked the door, and sat Hermione down in a chair opposite a desk. The person sat on the other side of the desk. It was Professor McGonagall. But all Hermione could say was, "Harry…Harry…Harry…"

"Shh! Granger! Calm down! Dumbledore is there! Potter will be fine," Professor McGonagall soothed.

"It's not okay! Harry's out there…" Hermione's voice trailed off as she gently touched her lips where Harry had kissed her before he told her to run.

"Harry isn't dead, and nor will he die! Trust me, Hermione!" the Professor said firmly.

"All – all right. What's going on?" Hermione asked.

"Well, you and Harry were sharing – ah – _quality time_ together," McGonagall began, trying to hide a smile, "but then I believe that a Death Eater came out, and chased you. How he got the nerve to come near a place with Dumbledore there, I'll never know. Anyway, I believe this Death Eater had orders to bring Harry to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. If Harry didn't have the reflexes he has from being an extraordinary Seeker, then he would probably be in You-Know-Who's clutches by now," Professor McGonagall finished. Hermione was shaking from fright. Suddenly, the door burst open, and Professor Dumbledore came in, dragging a Stunned Death Eater into the office. 

"HARRY!" cried Hermione, seeing her boyfriend come in, clutching his right arm. "Harry, what happened?" she asked, looking at Harry's arm. Harry took away his hand, and Hermione gasped. Harry's hand was covered in blood, and his arm had a deep gash in it. His robes (which were torn from the duel) were flecked with blood. "Oh my God!" shrieked Hermione.

"Take him up to the Hospital Wing at once!" Dumbledore ordered. Hermione nodded, put one arm around Harry's waist and helped him to the Hospital Wing. Harry was breathing deeply, but his emerald eyes had a fire in them that Hermione had never seen before. 

Once they reached the Hospital Wing, Madam Pomfrey gasped, then sighed.

"Oh, it's always you, isn't it Potter? Just like your father," she said, helping Hermione lower him onto a bed. Despite the searing pain, Harry laughed. 

"Well, trouble always seems to find me first, before I find it," he said, then grimaced at the majority of pain that was coursing through his body. Hermione was still crying, and she knelt beside Harry's bed.

"Hermi, don't cry, it's okay," Harry whispered, stroking Hermione's head.

"I know, but…oh, _why_ does You-Know-Who have to destroy the world?" hermione said, crying into Harry's good shoulder.

"He won't destroy the world, believe me, I'll make sure of it," Harry said, clenching his teeth. Hermione looked up worriedly, her tears stopping.

"No, no! Harry! Don't you _dare_ go after him! He'll kill you!" Hermione cried.

"It's my destiny to defeat him, but I won't necessarily die, and if I do…well…at least I did it for the world, especially for you, Mum and Dad," Harry said, closing his eyes, letting Madam Pomfrey tear of the arm of his robes as she worked to restore his arm to it's full strength. Hermione stayed quiet.

"Okay, you're done!" Madam Pomfrey declared after a few minutes. Harry got off the bed, and saw a huge puddle of blood on the floor.

"Er…sorry about that, Madam Pomfrey," he said.

"It's alright, but _promise_ me that you won't need to come in here for the rest of the year!" Madam Pomfrey said sighing.

"I promise," Harry said in between laughs. He and Hermione walked back to the castle, Harry's arm back to normal.

"Hermi, I'm sorry that I scared you by saying 'in case I don't get out of this'," Harry said, as they walked through the castle. Many students and teachers stopped, gawked and gasped at Harry, who was flecked with blood.

"It's alright, Harry," Hermione whispered to him.

"Okay, then, Hermi," Harry said, giving the password (frilly buttercups) to the Fat Lady and entering the common room.

"OH MY GOD!" Ron yelled, seeing Harry in the state that he was in. Harry told them about what happened, and went to have a shower. As soon as he was out of the room, Hermione burst into tears. Ron hugged her, saying everything was alright, and that Harry was fine. Hermione kept on touching her lips where Harry had kissed her before Harry had told her to run, and Ron asked why she kept touching her lips. She explained, blushing, and then Harry came back, wearing jeans and a blue shirt. 

_"He looks so cute wearing those clothes,"_ Hermione thought to herself, hugging Harry.

Suddenly, the portrait burst open, and Professor McGonagall walked in. 

"Harry! This came for you," the Professor said, handing Harry a piece of parchment. It read:

Dear Mr Potter,

We are pleased to inform you that you are the newest Professional Dueller. You have been on our list ever since you attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and are now authorized to become a Professional Dueller. You have passed all tests required, and are already in stage ten, out of ten. In this stage, you are a Duelling Champion, and your wand tip will have a different colour. This tells the public that you are a Duelling Champion. Congratulations! Please meet the Duelling Leader, Mr Georgio, in Professor Dumbledore's office on the 14th December.

Yours sincerely,

Dan Harrison.

D.Harrison

"Whoa…you sure that this isn't a hoax, Professor?" Harry asked.

"I'm sure, Potter. Professor Dumbledore is a Duelling Champion, too," McGonagall answered.

"But we've never seen his wand tip a different colour!" Hermione argued.

"That's because his colour is a very, very pale blue. Your parents, Harry, were Duelling Champions, and they had a powder blue wand tip," the Professor said.

"So what colour will mine be?" Harry asked.

"Well, you get the colour that runs in the family, so you'll get powder blue, like your parents!" McGonagall answered.

"Oh…thank you for bringing this to me, Professor," Harry said, stunned at what was happening.

"You're welcome, Harry," she answered, ducking the roof as she climbed out of the portrait hole. Harry looked at Hermione, who was speechless. The whole common room (who had been listening) was speechless. After a few minutes of silence, Ron and Rachel walked out of the common room, only to return with heaps of lollies and butterbeers.

"PARTY!!!" yelled Rachel, and the whole common room started to dance to the Backstreet Boys "Larger Than Life" while it blared out of a cd player, which had been conjured up.

----------~*~----------

_ _

_Author's Note:_ Yes, I know that they didn't have the Backstreet Boys in Hogwarts, but I don't know any wizard's songs!

Well, I really hope you liked it, and PLEASE review nicely! Or with constructive criticism. To e-mail me, [][1]click here.

THANK YOU to all those people who have reviewed with nice things to say, or constructive criticism. You're the people who need to be congratulated! Some people who I want to point out are:

Professor R.J. Lupin

Hermione_silver_Potter – (I still can't find you're account!)

~**Twink**~

Starlight 

hermione potter

Caitlyn 

Jilliana

And many, many more! If you have reviewed nicely or with constructive criticism, thanks a bunch!!

Please, I BEG YOU, please read my original story "The Leprechaun" and it's sequel, "Return of the Leprechaun"! And another great fic I want you to read that has it's own site:

[][2]http://www.geocities.com/kim_2000rl/KimFanfic.html

It's really great, and it's a Harry Potter one. If you go and read it, enjoy! J

Enough of my rambling!!

_Disclaimer:_ If you recognize it, I don't own it. It belongs to J.K. Rowling. If you don't recognize it, it's mine. Okay? J

'Til next time!

~~~*~~~ Rachie.V.

   [1]: mailto:rachvom@aol.com
   [2]: http://www.geocities.com/kim_2000rl/KimFanfic.html



	9. ~Chapter IX~

~Harry Potter and the Battle of Heirs~

~Rachie.V.~

_Author's Note:_ So sorry about the delay in this chapter – but school has just started up again and I've been quite busy. And I had to sort out this new Chaptering System, which took me a few days, as I didn't know what to do. But never fear, a friend helped me out, and I'm back! **Creepy music plays** Kim, THANK YOU SO MUCH! You don't know how much your instructions helped me out, there! Otherwise, I would have to start up my account all over again! And my reviews kept, too! J That made me happy. OH! I forgot to mention this: Warning: This chapter has a bit of gory parts in it!! Blood and stuff. An example is"…blood seeping from the stomach". See what I mean? Okay, I'll stop rambling now. Disclaimer and a proper A/N are at the bottom. Enjoy! J

Chapter IX

"Beep, beep, beep, beep!"

"Arggggh, shut up," Harry moaned hoarsely to his alarm clock. It didn't obey, so he took out his wand and blew it up. "That's better," he said, getting out of bed and taking a shower. He walked into the common room, only to see the remains of a party that had happened last night. He still couldn't get Spiller's song "Groovejet (If This Ain't Love)" out of his head. Suddenly, the words to the song came floating into the common room, but it was missing the music. Hermione appeared, and she was singing the song. Harry laughed.

"You can't get that song out of your head either, huh?" he asked.

"No, I just like it! I ordered the single out of Merlin Records by their owl post service," Hermione answered, rubbing her wet hair with a towel.

Harry raised his eyebrows.

"You're actually interested in music?" he asked.

"Sure! I have the Backstreet Boys, Madison Avenue, Five, B*Witched, Britney Spears and more at home, you know," Hermione answered. Harry grinned.

"Join the club," he replied, laughing. Ron and Rachel joined them then, and the four friends walked into the Great Hall for breakfast, singing "Groovejet (If This Ain't Love)".

^^^^^^^^^^

"What a day," Ron groaned, sitting down at the table where Harry, Rachel and Hermione were sitting at in the library. He plonked down a stack of dusty volumes on History of Magic and Charms, which were the lessons that they had just been to. They were getting read to study for their N.E.W.T.s, so their work was piled up mightily high.

"Has anyone found Rera the Ridiculous, yet? I can't seem to find her in this book," Rachel spoke up after a minute. Hermione pushed aside her stack of books.

"Here, Rachel, I found her," Hermione said, shoving the book over to Rachel. Rachel pushed aside _her_ stack, and took the book, asking, "Are you finished with it?"

"Yeah," Hermione answered, pulling a book off the top of the pile that had the words "Kean the Mean" on the front. 

Suddenly, there was a tap at the window, and everyone except for Ron looked up. A kookaburra was tapping on the window.

"Chuckles!" Rachel cried, jumping up and throwing open the window. The kookaburra came in and gave its native call. Ron, not seeing the kookaburra, swore and took out his wand, making Harry and Hermione burst out laughing.

"Hon, calm down! It's Chuckles, my kookaburra! We use kookaburras in Australia for our postal service, like you use owls!" Rachel said, giggling. Ron blushed, and put his wand away. The bird perched on a bookcase. It held out its leg and Rachel untied the letter that was tied to it. Rachel's smile widened as she read the letter. When she finished it, she yelled out, "WAHOO!"

"SHHHH!" hissed Madam Pince. But the four barely heard her. 

"What?" Harry, Hermione and Ron asked.

"My Mum said that I could have friends over for the summer!" Rachel exclaimed. They all asked if they could come and planned what they would do at Rachel's house, until there was another tap on the window. Harry opened it, and a black raven fluttered in. It's eyes were red, and it's claws were not pink, but a ghastly white.

It fluttered to Harry, who opened the letter it carried. His face paled.

"We need to go to Dumbledore, at once!" he cried, sprinting out of the library. The letter fluttered to the floor. The remaining three read it. The words on it scared them:

Watch your back, potter. Otherwise you will end up playing my favourite game - death. But later on, you will have no choice but to take part. And there is only one rule: Evil always wins. Watch yourself.

Then there was the Dark Mark on the bottom of it. It burst into flames, then all evidence was gone. 

"Craaark!" the raven called, then spread its wings. It soared gracefully out of the window.

Hermione spoke up after a few minutes of silence. "What are we going to do?"

"First of all, we catch up with Harry at Dumbledore's office," Ron replied. They nodded, and had just started to run through the corridors, when somebody ran into them. They all fell to the floor, and rubbing his head, Ron realized who it was - Harry.

"Harry! What happened?" Ron asked him.

"Dumbledore said that it might be a hoax, but if not, I'll have to keep on my toes. That's all he said, apart from, 'I cannot change the future, yet help it occur.' At least he trusts me, but come on! Can't he do better than that?" Harry said angrily.

"Cool it. He trusts you, which is very important, but also, You-Know-Who could just be trying to scare you! Harry, you shouldn't be angry at him," Ron replied.

"Oh, I suppose. You're right, Ron. C'mon, I need to practise my wizard chess," Harry replied, and the two boys walked off.

"Well, that leaves us," Rachel said.

"Yeah…hey! I forgot! Your letter from your Mum! Let's reply to her," Hermione suggested, running up to the Owlery. Rachel followed.

^^^^^^^^^^

THE NEXT MORNING

_Harry was standing in the middle of the Great Hall. All around him on the floor were students and teachers – all bleeding and dead, and the floor had become one huge blood puddle, and only him, Ron and Hermione were still standing. Rachel was in Ron's arms, blood seeping from her stomach. She was dead. Ron was weeping. He kissed her forehead and laid her on the floor. Then Hermione spotted Harry and walked over to him. She grasped his wrist and led him to Ron. They comforted him, then looked around the scene. The Great Hall walls were flecked with blood, the ceiling no longer had sparkling stars in the night sky, but lightning bolts were zigzagging across it. The sky was pitch black. _

_Dumbledore was dead and among the hundreds of other dead bodies, his face in a determined manner, his wand still in his clenched, lifeless wrist. Harry blinked a few times in utter disbelief. He never thought Dumbledore would die. Then the Great Hall shuddered violently. The walls shook, then crumbled to the floor. The roof did likewise. All around them were the Hogwarts grounds – red and black and burning. It was like hell. The Dark Mark hovered over the Forbidden Forest, and the remains of the castle were on the floor, burning. The grass was no longer grass, but black ashes, and puddles of blood were spread around the grounds. The lake was an expanse of bubbling lava, shooting pieces of red debris from its surface. Then the lightning bolts in the black sky turned red, and the Dark Mark grew bigger and bigger until a body smoothly slid from it's mouth to the black ground. It was Voldemort. He laughed after spotting the last living trio, and pointed his wand at them. He spoke those horrifying words, there was a flash of blinding green light, a whooshing noise, and then Ron fell to the ground with a thud, next to Rachel. He had no marks on him, unlike the hundreds of bodies surrounding him. Then Harry and Hermione spotted the bloodstained dagger in Voldemort's robe. He had murdered them all (except for Ron) without magic._

_Voldemort used the killing curse on Hermione, and she joined Harry's best friends on the ground. Harry was so angry he couldn't show any emotion except anger. Then, two figures appeared beside Harry. It was his parents. _

"NOOOO!!! Stop! No!!!" Harry thrashed around in his bed; the other boys sharing his dorm were staring at him, horrified. Harry continued to thrash around in his bed, while his blankets got tangled around his legs. He was clutching his scar, and suddenly, he let out a yell, and fell to the floor beside his bed, the blankets still twisted around his body. His eyes flew open. His breathing was quick, short and uneven, and his hair was so tousled it looked as though he had just locked himself in a broom closet with a tornado inside it. He tried to get to his feet, but the blankets around his legs prevented that, and he fell to the floor with a THUD. Harry managed to scramble up eventually and pulled on his glasses. The boys hadn't moved from their places at the door, and they were string at him with wide eyes. Harry gulped and ran a hand through his untamed hair.

"Are – Are you alright, H-Harry?" Ron spoke up tentatively.

"I'm fine, I just – I just had a nightmare. If you'll excuse me, I need to go to Dumbledore," Harry said, his voice wavering. His scar was still burning so fiercely, Harry was scared he would pass out. He pulled on a shirt and a pair of jeans over his boxers (which had Mr Happy on them) and grabbed his wand.Pausing at the mirror to straighten his wild hair (but was unsuccessful), he ran from the Gryffindor tower to Dumbledore's office. When he reached the stone gargoyle, he called out the password (Wise Old Man), which Dumbledore had told Harry (when he had gone to Dumbledore about Voldemort's note) to use if he ever needed to see him. The gargoyle leapt to the side. Harry sprinted up the stairs and knocked on the door. It sprung open, and Dumbledore stood before him. Harry caught a glimpse of the clock behind the Professor, and saw it was 6:15 a.m.

"Sorry, Professor, did I wake you?" Harry asked.

"No, Harry, it is quite alright, I was writing a letter to Fudge, he seems to need advice – once again," Dumbledore chuckled, then he turned serious. "Why is it you have come to seek me?"

"Well, you see, I just woke up from a nightmare…" Harry proceeded to tell the Professor about his dream.

"Well, Harry. That is very interesting, and I am honoured for you to think of me as immortal and strong. Strong as I may be, I am not immortal, and I beg you not to be upset when I do slide from Life's grasp. However, your dream is not a prediction, so there is no need to be afraid. I doubt, also, that it is a warning. In conclusion, that note you received may have frightened you to believe that evil always wins, as Voldemort was trying to convince you. But he is mistaken – evil does not always win. When it comes to Dark against Light, we (the Light side) are quite as strong. Now go and get your breakfast and prepare for your classes," Dumbledore said to him. He stood up and opened the door, and Harry walked out. He turned around.

"Professor, I can't say how much I thank you for telling me that," Harry said.

"You're welcome, Harry," Dumbledore said, then he saw Harry turn and walk down the corridor to go and change into his robes.

^^^^^^^^^^ End of chapter, folks!!!

_Author's Note:_ I'm really sorry that this chapter was short and not much happened! But I promise there will be more action in the next chapter! PROMISE!!! **Puts hand over heart** 

Okies, now's the time for my usual begging routine…(wait for it, wait for it…)…**_PLEASE REVIEW!!!!!_** I really wish that you would! It's you people who give me NICE reviews that make me happy! The people who tell me I have a talent really deserve more than a thanks, but there's nothing much more I can do. The nice reviewers, this is for you: **_THANK YOU EVER SO MUCH!!!!!!!!!!_** J Okay, but with the reviews, constructive criticism and compliments only, thanks! Any nasty things can be sent via e-mail. And if you want to e-mail me to give me suggestions, comments, etc., you can e-mail me, too! Click [][1]here to e-mail me!!! And please check out the fics out of my "Favourite Authors" list!!

_Disclaimer:_ "Groovejet (If This Ain't Love)" belongs to Spiller and Sophie Ellis-Bextor. Rachel and the plot belong to me. "Merlin Records" is a name I thought up for a wizarding cd shop, but if there really _is_ a place called "Merlin Records", then it belongs to them. The idea of kookaburras being the postal service in Australia belongs to my good friend Kim. Harry Potter and everything else to do with Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling. Erm…anything else you don't recognize is mine. Bunches of flowers to J.K. Rowling for being such a genius…and 'til next chapter, bye from me!!

~~~*~~~ Rachie.V.

   [1]: mailto:rachvom@aol.com



	10. ~Chapter X~

~Harry Potter and the Battle of Heirs~

~Rachie.V.~

_ _

_Author's Note:_ I'm back again! Okay, as I promised, this has more action in it near the end. And I'm _still_ working on my first MWPP/L fic!! Enjoy that when you read it! Um… not much to mention here! Thanks for the people who have been reviewing this fic… Enjoy! J

_ _

Chapter X

_ _

**_"…A_**nd in result to his foolish mistakes, Jake the Fake was killed without mercy," Professor Binn's voice droned on. 

Harry, Ron, Hermione and Rachel were in the back row of the History of Magic classroom, all fast asleep on each other's shoulders. Suddenly, the bell signalling lunch rang out and Professor Binn assigned them homework, and the yawning students trailed out of the classroom.

"Ah, Potter. May I speak to you?" A cold voice rang out into the corridor. They four friends turned. It was Snape. Cringing, Harry answered with a regretful "yes". He followed Snape through the classroom and into his office. Snape sat down behind the desk, and Harry sat opposite him. Harry stared at him with cold eyes and spat out, "What do you want?"

"Harry, I ask you to not be angry and cold at me," Snape said. Harry was stunned at the Professor for using his first name, but he dismissed it from his mind. Snape continued.

"I know that the past years you and I have…ah… not gotten on very well, and I apologize. I was angry and hateful to you because you reminded me so much of James and Lily, that it hurt so much. They hated me from the day we met, and when they were murdered, I was so regretful for being horrible to them, that I wanted to continue being horrible to the name Potter, and thus the reason for our hatred against each other. But as soon as Voldemort repossessed his body, I knew I had been foolish, but didn't want to admit it. Then in your sixth year when you faced Voldemort again, I couldn't stand it. Voldemort grew back to his highest strength (he has been keeping low, so most people do not know how much his strength his up to now). But when he was up to his highest strength, I knew you didn't need any extra enemies, so we both need to be on the same side. The Slytherins will always stay the same, but Sirius, Remus and I have talked with each other and we have become close friends. All of this is true, and you must believe me, as you need as much support as you can get," Snape finished. Harry sat in his chair, staring at the Professor. 

"Y-you mean it…I can tell…I can trust you…" Harry stuttered. Snape laughed, and Harry noticed his hair was neat and washed. His laugh was handsome, not the cold one. His eyes were like Hagrid's: black, warm and sincere.

"Yes, Harry. It's all true. But you do need as much support as you can get, you know…I mean…you will be the Head of the Light; Voldemort will be the Head of the Dark in the Battle of Forces. Wait…you do know all of this, don't you?" Snape asked.

"No!" Harry cried.

"Ahh…well, I had better explain. You and Voldemort will, at one point in your life, come together and take part in a duel. It will be the Battle of Forces, which means the ultimate battle of all times. Whomever wins will mean that their side is the better one, and all people on the opposite has the chance to join the victorious side, or be killed without mercy. These sides are the Light and Dark. The Battle of Forces can only happen once, and it has never happened before. But it's a fact now that it will happen between you and Voldemort. You shall be the Head of the Light and he shall be Head of the Dark. If he wins, the world will collapse. If you win, then the world shall be a whole lot better. But the thing is, to win; you have to kill the opposing Head. Harry, the world is relying on you, but I beg you not to worry about that. We know you can win, but if you do not want to, or if you do not focus properly, you will not win – and that means you will die. But we know you will always stay truthful to us, Harry. Now scram, you have some food to eat!" Snape finished, smiling at him. Instead of going to lunch, Harry fainted, his wand clattering to the floor.

^^^^^^^^^^

"Yo, Harry! Where've ya been?" Rachel yelled across the whole Great Hall as Harry entered the place for his (late) lunch. 

"Rach! Fred and George would be proud of you! Yelling is one of their specialties," Ron said to her. Ginny overheard him and giggled. 

Harry walked over, trembling and his face pale. Without saying a word, Hermione grabbed a stack of sandwiches, and got up. Ron and Rachel got up too, and they led the shocked Harry down to the lake. Harry was hesitant to go to the lake because of his nightmare, but they led him there anyway.

"Spit it out, Harry," Ron said once they had sat down. Harry repeated what Snape had told him. Ron fainted. Rachel took her (clean) handkerchief out of her pocket and wafted it above Ron's face, staring at Harry. Her mouth had dropped open, and her eyes were wide. She was still wafting her handkerchief over Ron's face. 

Hermione was staring at him. She blinked a few times, then her eyes rolled backwards into her head, and she fell backwards onto the grass, out cold. Harry shrugged and helped himself to a few sandwiches.

Ten minutes later, the group had recovered, and they had all accepted Harry's future.

"I should have expected it, really…I mean, every single one of the books I have read about you, Harry, have said that you will conquer You-Know-Who…and all the things you've done" Hermione said. Harry blushed. Rachel and Ron laughed at Harry's pink cheeks.

"Oh, here we go, Potty, the Weasel, the Mudblood and the bale of hay," a voice drawled out into the warm, afternoon air. Harry spun around.

"Don't call her a Mudblood!" Harry warned menacingly.

"Ooh! Somebody's got a soft spot, haven't they?" Draco said sweetly.

"Well, Ferret Boy, you have returned from the dead. The whole castle knew about Harry and Hermione, except for you and your puny, idiotic bodyguards!" Rachel shot back. She knew about Draco's experience in the fourth year by Ron, Hermione and Harry.

Draco's cheeks turned a pale pink. He motioned Crabbe and Goyle to beat her up, but Hermione stopped them with a curse. She and Rachel turned away swiftly and started to walk up to the castle. 

Suddenly, there was a crack of thunder, then Harry saw a Death Eater leap out from behind a tree and pounce onto Hermione and Rachel. Their screams echoed into the afternoon. Harry yelled out and raced forward. He could hear Ron following him. Harry's feet slammed into the ground as he sprinted forward. 

_Hermione! I can't let her go…I love her…Hermione! Save Hermione…_ Harry's brain yelled to him.

The Death Eater gave him a fleeting glance, then grinned behind his mask. He pulled out his wand. Harry reached him in what seemed like three seconds, though he knew he had run quite a long way. Harry pulled out his wand. He skidded in front of the Death Eater. He yelled out a curse to the Death Eater, who flew backwards and fell to the ground with a thump. Then he got up, and the next thing Harry knew, Ron, Hermione and Rachel had been tied up. Draco, Crabbe and Goyle were beside Harry, looking panic-stricken. Without thinking, Harry threw another curse at the Death Eater, who was thrown to the ground again. Harry rushed forwards to his friends, and to Harry's surprise, Draco was with him. Together, the enemies pulled free Harry's friends. Hermione, Rachel, Ron, Crabbe, Goyle and Draco started to rush to the safety of the castle, but Draco yelled at them to stop. They stopped and turned, only to see that Draco was rushing back to the Death Eater, who was duelling with Harry.

"Oh, for crying out loud! Not again!" Hermione screamed, starting to cry for Harry. Rachel comforted her, and put an arm around her shoulders. Crabbe, Goyle, Hermione, Rachel and Ron huddled together, watching as Draco reached Harry. He grabbed Harry's wrist and pulled him away. Harry shot a final curse at the Death Eater, and then ran back up to his friends – and enemies. The Death Eater yelled out a nasty phrase, then Disapperated. All of the teenagers rushed into the castle, and Harry pulled Draco aside.

"Malfoy, why did you do that? Why did you help me free my friends, then pulled me to safety from the Death Eater?" Harry asked him, running his hand through his unruly hair.

"It seemed like a good thing to do at the time, and I wasn't thinking," the Slytherin snapped. Harry sighed and walked up to Dumbledore's office to tell him about this event.

^^^^^^^^^

"Harry! Could we have a word?" Corri McNorry (A Daily Prophet reporter) asked Harry. 

It was the next day, and the Daily Prophet had already caught wind of what had happened with the Death Eater.

Corri McNorry was 19, nice and funny, and she had blonde hair with red streaks in it, and had blue eyes. She was turning out to be the exact opposite to Rita Skeeter, and Harry wondered how reporters seemed to have weird and rhyming names. Corri had her own photographer (Stan) with her, who was Australian and snapped photos of Harry whenever he got the chance – which meant he barged into the middle of some of Harry's classes. 

But at least Potions had become a lot more tolerable since Snape admitted to Harry and himself that he had forget about the past and befriend Harry. Speaking of Potions, that was the lesson that Harry was in when Stan had pushed his luck too far… 

"Parkinson! 10 points from Slytherin for throwing toad brains at the Gryffindors!" Professor Snape barked. The Slytherins were getting under his skin, as was Stan, as he never failed to barge into each of his classes, trying to catch the one with Harry in it. 

When Snape's washed and trimmed hair fell over his shoulder as he tried to show Dean how to cut up the dragon bones properly, Stan skidded into the Potions dungeon, his camera swinging wildly around his neck, his brown eyes blazing with anticipation. He ran a hand through his short, brown hair.

"HA! Found ya, mate!" the Australian photographer bellowed to Harry, but before he could even touch the camera that was still swinging backwards and forwards around his neck, Snape let out a roar.

"THAT'S IT! GET OUT, STAN! I'VE HAD ENOUGH! C'MERE!" Snape hollered, and leapt onto Stan's back. The two fell to the floor with a CRASH. Snape pinned him to the ground, while the whole class, both Gryffindor and Slytherin, were standing on the desks, cheering. Rachel, Hermione and Pansy had dressed up as cheerleaders. They were doing a dance around the room with mini red skirts, white shirts that showed their bellybuttons and red and white pom-poms. Their black platforms clacked on the stone floor, and Corri had joined them, with an exact same outfit. She didn't like Stan, and had been forced to sign up with him for the subject of Harry. She loved to see him embarrassed, and played pranks on him constantly, which meant they had become instant enemies.

Finally, after a brawl on the dungeon floor (Snape didn't give up the dungeons, but he did turn them warm, instead of cold), Snape stood up, holding Stan's arms behind his back. Snape was panting; his shoulder length hair now messy, and a few strands of it were stuck to his lips. He was panting, and he had a cut above his left eye. Harry cheered the most for Snape. It was as if they had become best friends. Harry realized that once Snape put his coldness to the side, he was much nicer and likeable. It was much better than Harry's previous years at Hogwarts, that was for sure.

Snape led Stan out of the classroom, and soon they heard somebody yell, then somebody else burst out laughing. The class ran out of the classroom, and saw that Dumbledore was in fits of laughter- and he was laughing at Stan and Snape, who were, once again, having a fist fight on the floor. The four cheerleaders (still in their outfits) danced around the two fighting, and their platforms were making so much racket, that the other classes peeked outside to see what was happening. Dumbledore looked up, saw the cheerleaders and had to lean on a suit of armour for support. The three 17 year olds and one 19 year old had quite a lot of people laughing. Harry was grinning, and when the cheerleaders had stopped dancing, he walked over to Hermione, took her in his arms and kissed her on the lips. Hermione's pom-poms fell to the floor as she wrapped her arms around Harry's neck.

^^^^^^^^^^ End of chapter, peoples!

_ _

_Author's Note:_ I'm sorry this was so short, but I wanted to get this up A.S.A.P.! If you want longer chapters, ask me in reviews, and I shall try to get them longer!

Okay, please review for mew, and tell me what you think of my fic so far, please? Thank you!To the people who do, **_THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!_** But, I only want constructive criticism and compliments. Suggestions, questions, flames, etc. come via e-mail, please! Click [here][1] to e-mail me!

**_ _**

If you want to read a really good fic, check out my Favourite Author's list – especially Caitlyn, Jilliana, Starlight (the first one), bunny chan, and if there's anyone else who I know… you're included!!! 

Erm…please read my original (_The Leprechaun_) and its sequel _Return of the Leprechaun_. Please?

If you need a Beta Reader, ask ME! I'd love to be one to you (yes, YOU! That is, if you need one…). Click [][1]here to ask me!!!

_ _

_Disclaimer:_ J.K. Rowling owns the HP characters, apart from Rachel, Stan, Corri McNorry and the NICE Snape, who I own. If there is anything else that you do not recognize, it's mine.

   [1]: mailto:rachvom@aol.com



	11. ~Chapter XI~

~Harry Potter and the Battle of Heirs~

~Rachie.V.~

**_ _**

**_IMPORTANT _**_Author's Note: _This will be very quick, but you know how I called that huge battle the "Battle of Forces"? Well, it was supposed to be the "Battle of Heirs", so if you see me mention the "Battle of 

Heirs", I changed the name from the last chapter! SORRY! Onto the fic. J

Chapter XI

**"C**oach? Can you help me with my turns?"****

"Coach? I need help on the accuracy of my shots."

"And I need to dive further to the right without falling off my broom."

"Can I go to breakfast now?"

"YEAH!!!" 

_BRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING!!!_

"Saved by the bell," Harry muttered to himself. The students in his Quidditch team were starting to bug him at that lesson. Earlies were not their favourite lessons.

"C'mon coach, you look stressed out," said a voice behind him. It was Rachel. They walked up to the castle and the younger Quidditch players ran ahead of them to their well-deserved breakfast.

"Harry, my man, what is it with you? A few days ago you were happy and loveable, and now you're tense and…well…irritable. Wazzup?"

"Oh, I really don't want to talk about it," Harry said. Rachel looked at him and raised an eyebrow, but didn't pursue the subject.  
They arrived at the castle and sat down for breakfast. Harry put his head in his hands. Hermione was next to Harry and instantly saw he was upset.

"What's wrong with him?" she mouthed to Rachel, who shrugged in reply. 

Harry stood up and walked out of the Great Hall without eating a single thing, and hundreds of heads turned and watched him. The Great Hall doors shut with a dull BANG. Hermione stood up to follow him, but Seamus, who was across from her, put his hand on her arm.

"Let him go, Hermione. He might need privacy," he said to her. She nodded, biting her lip.

~~~

Harry sat in a chair in the common room. He was next to the fireplace that, at the moment, held a roaring fire. He had his photo album in his lap, and was staring at a photo that showed his parents dancing on the Quidditch pitch. A brilliant sunset glowed behind them; the face of the sun squeezed in the space between his parents' heads. They were gazing into each other's eyes with a look that could only suggest they wanted to spend the rest of their lives with each other.

_But the rest of their lives wasn't as long as they hoped_, Harry thought to himself. He shut the leather-bound book of memories and suddenly, he didn't want to be alive. So far this year, he had battled a Death Eater twice, fought a Dementor and rescued his friends. And they weren't even halfway through the school year! It wasn't fair. He was becoming a super hero, like Superman. He didn't want to get all the popularity for being a hero - he just wanted his parents. That's all he wanted. So why was his life so terrible? He had had tough times in his other years – The Philosopher's Stone, the Chamber of Secrets, the Goblet of Fire, his last two run-ins with Voldemort and now the Battle of Heirs. He knew his life was short. He knew he wouldn't survive the Battle of Heirs. He couldn't. Oh, sure, he had survived all those other times, but what was to say he'd do it again?

No…he was being stupid! He had a lot to live for. Hermione, Ron, all the Gryffindors, the teachers…especially Dumbledore. He had supported Harry through his years and had given him so much. And he still hadn't made Malfoy regret he was born…

Harry fell asleep, and the next thing he knew, his Mum and Dad were in his dream.

"Harry! My baby! We know you're having doubts about your life, but you must listen to us," Lily Potter said to Harry. His Mum continued:

_"You have so much to live for, the reasons you thought about were good, but think! You're important to the whole world! Think about the Battle of Heirs. If you lose, which we trust you won't, the world will fall apart, and Voldemort will destroy the universe! You must save your friends, your enemies and the universe. And also, you love Hermione. You can't let her down. She trusts you to help her through her life, and she loves you so much! And what about flying and Quidditch? We know you love them, even though I'm scared of flying, but you and your father have the same passion for flying. Please, you're my baby, and I don't want you to ruin your life just because it's complicated right now. Please, don't do anything stupid." His Mum finished._

_"She's right you know," said Harry's Dad. "Harry, don't be suicidal because you're being relied on by the world. Please, we're both begging you, enjoy your life, and we'll always be with you, through the Dark times and your happy times. We love you, Harry…"_

~~~

"Are they alright?"

"Are they dead?"

"What happened?"

"Did You-Know-Who get them?"

"Why are they like that? Do you know what happened?"

"Are they alrigh', Professor? Wha' did they do? What are yer gonna do?"

"Harry…please wake up…"

Harry was in the Hospital Wing, bandaged up. He was unconscious. He was black and blue. Almost the whole of the school and Hogwarts staff were around his bed and the one next to him. Hagrid was shaking. Hermione was sobbing. Ron was crying slightly. Everyone had tears in their eyes. Most were crying about Harry, but they were all concerned about Draco, who was in the bed next to Harry. He was in the same state as Harry.

Harry was having a dream about what had happened….

_Harry had just woken up from his dream where his parents had convinced him to believe in himself and to appreciate his life. He had started to walk down the corridor to the library to do some homework. As he climbed out of the Fat Lady, Hermione rushed up to him. He told her he was alright and kissed her forehead in reassurance. Then he continued to the library. He passed the Slytherin corridor, and shook his head as he spotted Malfoy trying to convince Crabbe and Goyle to help him scare the first years in the Hufflepuff dorms. Harry rounded a corner, and the next thing he knew, he was tackled to the floor. Harry struggled to get out of his attacker's grasp, then realised that it was Wormtail. He pulled his wand out of his pocket and shot a curse at Wormtail. The man stumbled back, and Harry got up. He shot so many curses at Wormtail that the corridor was ablaze with light. The light attracted Draco and his cronies, and once Crabbe and Goyle saw what was going on, they fled to their dorm. Draco, however, saw what was going on, and knew he had to help. Harry was being knocked over with curses, but he kept getting up, despite his injuries, and kept on duelling back. Draco ran to Harry's aid and they both duelled against Wormtail until they ran out of curses to use, but Harry kept going. Draco was bleeding and didn't have much strength left, but he knew he had to help Harry. Wormtail was hurt, but not as bad as the boys. He had an insane grin on his face. Draco shouted out one last curse and fell to the floor, unconscious. Harry had known Draco was beside him, and when he saw Malfoy fall, he was angry. He shot curse after curse at Wormtail, but the other man was too cunning. He shouted the Cruciatus curse on both of them, and a weak and bleeding Harry joined Draco on the floor. The two boys writhed in pain, thrashing on the floor as their injuries became almost unbearable in pain. Then Dumbledore came running down the corridor, and Wormtail transformed, then ran like a coward, leaving the two boys still writhing in pain._

_ _

_~_

_ _

Madam Pomfrey was working her backside off to heal the boys. Then suddenly, Harry sat up and winced as a gash on his back shot a series of pain through his body. Everyone gasped. 

"He's okay!"

"HARRY'S NOT DEAD!"

"He never was. Madam Pomfrey said he still had a pulse – a weak one – but a pulse."

"Harry! Yer all righ'! God, for a momen' there, I though yer was dead."

"Oh, thank goodness!"

"HARRY! Oh man, I thought…never mind what I thought. YOU'RE ALL RIGHT!"

"Harry… you're okay…I love you!" Hermione cried, and flung herself at Harry, who grimaced in pain, then patted her back. "Sorry," Hermione apologized, realizing Harry's ribs were broken. Harry grinned at her through the pain, then ran a bandaged hand through his unruly hair. Then he looked at the bed next to him. Madam Pomfrey was tending to Draco, who was awake and staring at the ceiling. He looked over at Harry and gave a scowl. Harry raised his eyebrows, then shrugged. If Draco wanted to risk his life for him and then stay as his enemy, that was his problem! Harry looked away and pulled a puffy-eyed Hermione into a hug.

~~~_Draco's POV_~~~

_Why did I do that? Why am I suddenly helping that Potter? The prat can do it himself! First I help him rescue his sissy friends, then I help him duel some dangerous, insane, bald, fat Animagi! What am I doing? Harry doesn't deserve it! But then again…what has he done to me? I was the one to hold the grudge on the Hogwarts Express … WAIT! Malfoy, you're a Slytherin! Don't get all mushy and think that I should become friends with him! The Dark Lord is my master…_Draco shuddered._ Why does HE have to be my master? He tortures his enemies AND followers!! Why should I be his soon-to-be second-hand man? Ugh, I know. It's because I'm a Malfoy. Malfoys have tormented the Potters since the start of Wizard Times! And they have always followed the Dark side. Maybe I should be the first one to go to the Light Side! DRACO MALFOY! Don't be a git; you don't want to join those sissies, do you? No way. Their motto is "Light Conquers Shadows"! Our motto is the best: "Evil Triumphs Over All". That's my league and always will be._

_ _

_~~~ End Draco's POV ~~~_

_ _

_~~~That Night~~~_

_ _

"Harry, why does your seventh year have to be so…heroic?" Hermione asked, lying down on the Gryffindor sofa, resting her head on Harry's lap. Harry, healed fully, stroked her head, saying,

"I don't know, Hermi. It'll pass by, I promise. But when, I have no idea."

Hermione sat up, then rested against Harry's chest. He put his arms around her. Hermione felt so safe and warm in his embrace, and never wanted to let go. She loved Harry so much, but if He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named got him…well, she didn't know what she'd do. She was in love with the famous Harry Potter, but to her, Harry was her true love, the one whose kisses could convince her anything; whose hugs were warm and safe. Not a hero.

Suddenly, the Fat Lady's portrait swung open, and Rachel and Ron entered. Rachel was in Ron's arms and they were kissing while walking. Rachel was going backward while Ron went forward. Hermione and Harry tried to cover their laughs, but it was no use. They burst out laughing. Ron and Rachel pulled apart and blushed furiously.

"Don't worry, Ron. You're not the only one out late with his girlfriend," said Harry, standing up and pulling Hermione up. Ron grinned. The four sat down and talked – the girls about school – the boys about Quidditch. Then they headed out of the castle for a midnight double date. As they sat by the lake under a huge willow tree, a sound came from behind them. It was Wormtail again!! The boys shielded their girlfriends, but Wormtail laughed.

"That won't protect them," he whispered, then clicked his fingers, and the girls were tied up and by his feet.

"Bye, boys!" he cried, then vanished.

"HERMIONE!" yelled Harry.

"RACHEL!" yelled Ron.

The two boys raced up to the castle and through it's doors. The tore through the dark corridors, dodged Peeves who was pasting the floor of a classroom in peanut butter. Peeves looked up. He shrugged as he saw Harry's jet-black hair flailing from side to side and Ron's fiery-red hair bobbing up and down as they sprinted through the castle.

They reached Dumbledore's stone gargoyle and skidded to a halt in front of it, panting wildly.

Because Harry was Head Boy, Dumbledore had told him the password.

"Frog Feet," Harry cried, then he and Ron raced up the spiral staircase, even though it moved itself. They reached the top and hammered on Dumbledore's office door. It soon opened to reveal Dumbledore in pyjamas, a nightcap and sipping a mug of hot chocolate.

"Yes, boys?" he asked seriously. His eyes had lost their twinkle, as he knew they had come for a serious problem. They quickly explained their problem, panting in parts. The fire that Dumbledore got in his eyes at a time like this suddenly flared up. He pointed his wand at himself, muttered a spell and was in black robes. He told the boys to lead him, which they did, sprinting again. Dumbledore kept up perfectly. The three hastened to the willow tree. When they got there, the boys yelled out loud. There was a pool of blood on the grass.

"He didn't…did he?" Ron asked Dumbledore.

Knowing what Ron meant, Dumbledore shook his head, "No Peter Pettigrew did not kill your loved ones. This blood is false. It was to frighten you into thinking he had murdered them. Peter was always a little dull. Please go the Great Hall and sit down at your table. The school shall gather there shortly," Dumbledore said. Then he magnified his voice and made the announcement of the meeting, keeping a careful eye on the boys' retreating backs.

~~~

_Author's Note:_ Another chapter done!! Don't worry, though! There will be another chapter!!!

Okay, so tell me. Did this stink or is it good? Do you want longer chapters? Tell me what you would like in the next chapter, but I can't promise that what you want will be what you get. J

So PUH-LEASE review, 'cause it makes me fell special and let's me know that people actually DO like my stories. And that people actually do want me to continue. Thank you ever so much to the people that have reviewed nicely! You guys are the ones who deserve me to chuck a party for 'em next time they're in town!! 

If you wish to give me constructive criticism (NO FLAMES), or if you have questions or just want to e-mail me, click **_[][1]_**here. (Click the purple word to enter a hyperlink!!)

Please check out the authors in my Favourite Author's list! Their fics are very good.

Oh, and if you like Sailor Moon and are a H/H shipper, go to **_[this site][2]_**. And feel free to **_[e-mail me][3]_**!

~~~*~~~_Rachie.V.___

   [1]: mailto:%20rachvom@aol.com
   [2]: http://www.geocities.com/figgnme
   [3]: mailto:rachvom@aol.com



	12. ~Chapter XII~

-------------------------------------------

~Harry Potter and the Battle of Heirs~

~Rachie.V.~ Chapter XII

** **

"Dou you know what happened?"

"No. I wonder if You-Know-Who attacked?"

"Doubt it."

"May I have your attention, please?" Dumbledore's voice echoed through the Great Hall where the whole school had assembled. The low, hushed conversations that were rippling through the hall were quickly cut short. Every head turned towards Dumbledore.

"Thank you. I apologize for alarming you in such a manner, but there has been an incident. Peter Pettigrew, Voldemort's assistant, has captured Miss Hermione Granger and Miss Rachel Hay –" Dumbledore was interrupted by a sob from Ron and the whispers that erupted and spread like wildfire through the hall. Dumbledore continued: "Your attention again, please. Although we have said many times that Hogwarts is an extremely safe place, it seems that it shall no longer be as safe, considering Voldemort has fought his fear of me and –" Dumbledore was interrupted yet again, but this time by gasps and exclamations.

"Please! Allow me to finish or we shall be here all night. As I was saying, Voldemort has fought his fear of me and Hogwarts is no longer safe. This explains the reason for having giants and trolls at our gates and entrances. Rubeus Hagrid, our Keeper of the Keys and Madame Maxine, the Headmistress of Beauxbatons School of Magic, are among them. We apologize for Hogwarts looking like a prison, but we have no alternative choice. 

"You shall all spend the evening here in the Great Hall, and it shall be guarded by our Head Boy and Prefects. Our Head Girl is Hermione Granger, but since she has been captured, I will make Ron Weasley the assistant of Mr Potter tonight. If any of you hear a strange noise or have a problem, go to Mr Potter, Mr Weasley or a Prefect. Thank you and goodnight!" Dumbledore concluded and waved his wand, clearing the Great Hall of the tables and chairs. He waved it again and hundreds of purple sleeping bags appeared – just like the ones Harry had slept in in his third year.

"It isn't fair!" sobbed Ron as their Headmaster walked out with the teachers to put stronger enchantments on the castle and to form a plan to rescue the girls. No one went to sleep, but whispered and gossiped about the kidnap.

"Ron, be quiet! It's alright, I have a plan," Harry whispered to his friend. Ron hiccupped and looked at Harry.

"What is it?" he whispered back.

"I'll tell you in a minute," Harry replied, then, raising his voice, told the Prefects to take charge and if anyone misbehaved, they would get three detentions each. Then he pulled Ron out of the Hall and into an empty classroom.

"Listen. We can't just stay here and guard the Hall. We have to save Hermione and Rachel! But first, we have to know where they went. I have an idea, but I thought I'd ask you first if you knew of any place Voldemort might be," Harry said to Ron, fiddling with a quill that was on the desk he was sat on.

"Harry! Don't say the name! And we'll get into trouble for leaving the castle and the hall, and we'll be expelled for sure, and –" Ron started to lecture.

"Don't you realize? If Voldemort kills Hermione, I won't be able to live with the shame of having her killed just because I cared for her! Plus I love her, and I know you don't want to lose Rachel. So why hesitate? Your loved one has been kidnapped, and you're sitting here, saying that we'll be expelled!" Harry hissed at him. Ron blushed and opened his mouth furiously to argue, then thought better of it. He swallowed and replied meekly, "You're right. I'm sorry. No, I don't have a clue where they are. Where do you think he's taken them?"

"His old home, that's where," Harry snarled. Ron had never seen him so angry.

"So let's go, already!" Ron said, jumping up off the chair he was sat on.

"We're not prepared, but." Harry said, standing up, cracking his knuckles.

"What do you mean? What do we need?" Ron queried as he followed a hyped-up Harry through the castle and into their dorm.

"This, for starters." Harry pulled out his invisibility cloak from his trunk. "And this, and this and this!" he continued, pulling out his cloak, his broom (a Streak5000) and a purple picture frame without a stand at the back of it or a photo inside, but a black television screen where the photo should be. It was the size of Harry's palm.

"What's that?" Ron asked, pointing to the purple object.

"It's called a Revealer. When I say a charm and tap it, the Revealer will show me anything I want. The future, the past, who someone is, where someone is, what something is, a map and if there's any danger nearby," Harry told him, putting it, his cloak, Ron's cloak, a camera, a quill, an ink bottle, Hedwig (who he summoned from the Owlery), ten rolls of parchment and a large box into his backpack. 

"Why do we need all this stuff?" Ron asked.

"We'll be gone for quite awhile," Harry replied, folding up his Streak5000 (which could fold up and be stored anywhere, even in your pocket) and putting that in is backpack. He closed it and said to Ron, "Are you ready for a wild and extremely dangerous adventure?"

"You bet!" Ron replied happily.

"Good. But first, we need to stock up on food," Harry declared, putting on his backpack, putting on the invisibility cloak and beckoning Ron to come under it with him. The two walked slowly down the steps, but stopped dead. Filch was in the corridor with Mrs Norris and was walking towards them. Ron gulped as Mrs Norris's lamp-like eyes turned towards them. She meowed to Filch. He looked down at her. 

"What's that, my sweet? You smell someone? Ooh, tell me more. They'll be in for it!" Filch cried, delighted.

"C'mere," Harry breathed to Ron, and pulled him into a classroom just behind them. He tried to close the door, but it creaked. He groaned silently as Filch looked towards the door and grinned.

"We've got 'em now!" he bellowed and sprung into the room, just missing Harry and Ron who were still in the doorway.

"This way!" Harry whispered to Ron, and pulled him out into the corridor again. The two crept down it, and as soon as they rounded the corner, Ron gave a sigh of relief, soon to be muffled by Harry's hand that covered his mouth as Peeves bobbed around the corner, merely missing them.

"Who's there?" he said suddenly, sensing their presence. Harry rubbed his nose. It was itching like crazy.

"Hmm…maybe you'll show yourself if I…TICKLE YOU!" Peeves yelled, pulling out a feather from behind his back and waving it around in the air. It just touched Harry's nose – which was enough as well as the itch to make him sneeze.

"AH…AH…AHHHHHHH…CHOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Harry gave an almighty sneeze that knocked Peeves off his feet.

"HURRY!" Ron yelled and Harry pulled off the invisibility cloak so they could run. They skidded round corners and hurtled down corridor after corridor, but they needn't have bothered wasting their energy. Peeves was still in the corridor where Harry had sneezed. He was yelping for help and trying to pull off the sheet of sticky snot that Harry had sneezed out. It was binding Peeves's body to the floor. 

Harry pulled out his invisibility cloak as soon as he and Ron had caught their breath. 

"This isn't safe. Why don't we just go back to the hall?" Ron whined.

"I thought you cared for Rachel!" Harry shot back.

"I do!" Ron cried indignantly.

"So why just sit around when she could be being tortured?!" Harry was hysterical.

"I didn't mean that!"

"BUT-"

"ALRIGHT! Calm down! You're acting like a wounded rhino!"

"Sorry, Ron. I just need to get her back."

"You really care for Hermione, don't you?"

"Yeah."

"Awwww, how sweet."

"Shut it, you! You pine for Rachel, too!"

"SHUT UP!"

"Ah, there, you see?"

"Ah, close it."

"We need to get to the kitchens," Harry said, changing the subject. Harry slid under his invisibility cloak and Ron joined him. The trip to the kitchens went flawlessly. Harry tickled the pear and entered with Ron behind him.

"Ah, sir! You has returned to Dobby!" a squealing voice sounded. Dobby came racing up to Harry and hugged him so tightly, he nearly suffocated.

"Yes, Dobby," Harry wheezed, "but I've come for a reason."

"Oh, but Dobby is still pleased to see sir. How can Dobby and friends help, sir?" the helpless house-elf squeaked.

"Well…" Harry began to give out orders and pretty soon, the box he had brought was full with food. 

"Dobby, Ron and I have to go. We hope to see you again, but we're about to do is very dangerous. I don't know if we'll come back," Harry told Dobby.

"Sir! Sir might not come back? Harry Potter must not put his life in danger! Sir, Dobby will tell Pro–"

"Arrrrgh, Dobby! Please don't worry! And don't tell anyone! Please?"

"A-alright. Dobby obeys," Dobby said, bowing to Harry.

"Thanks, you're a perfect house-elf," Harry complimented, then steered Ron away from the pile of chocolate éclairs he had been working his way through.

~*~

_ _

_Author's Note:_ Yup, that was the end of this chapter!! Sorry it was so short, but I'm working my way really fast now! I've worked it out that this fic is coming to an end, soon! It should be about 15 chapters long, but I can't be sure. Please review! No flames, please. Click **_[][1]_**here to e-mail me. Thanks, everyone!

   [1]: mailto:rachvom@aol.com



	13. ~ Chapter XIII~

~Harry Potter and the Battle of Heirs~

~Harry Potter and the Battle of Heirs~

~Rachie.V.~

_Author's Note:_ A special thank you to EVERYONE who has reviewed. You make me even more proud of my fics. I really cannot express my feelings enough. **THANK YOU! **:) Oh, and this chapter is split up into three parts because I find that this chapter is quite important (you might not see this, but I do), and also a lot happens, and I needed a split at one point, and I didn't want to end the chapter at a short stage, thus the three parts. Read on, and once again, thanks to my faithful reviewers! I also found out with a rather nasty bump that this fic will go past 15 chapters!! **Cheers** But only to about 20…I can't be certain, but around 16-20 chapters. And don't look at me like that; at least you'll have more to read!! Oh, and I'm thinking of writing a sequel to this, too…

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Chapter XIII ~ Part One

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**"P**rofessor Dumbledore, sir?" Dobby asked the Headmaster when he had been welcomed into the Professor's office that was packed with teachers, all looking sombre.

"Yes, Dobby?" The Professor looked weary. It was the same day that he had assigned the Head Boy to take care of the students in the Great Hall, and he and the staff had put charms on every nook and cranny of the school, and were now trying to organize a plan to rescue the two kidnapped girls.

"Y–you tell all staff, even house-elves like Dobby, to come forward with any information that we has on the kidnap, sir," Dobby took the tea cosy off his head and wrung it nervously in his hands. Professor Dumbledore immediately bent down to Dobby's height and looked seriously in his eyes.

"What information do you have for us, Dobby?"

"I promise I would not tell! But Dobby has to…it's important…"

"It's alright, Dobby…can't you break this promise just for now? I promise no one will hurt you for telling me," Dumbledore said, jerking a water jug out of Dobby's hand that he had nearly smashed over his own head for nearly breaking a promise.

"A–alright. Dobby is working in kitchen, sir, when Harry Potter comes in and asks for food, sir. I gives it to him and asks him why. Harry Potter looks like he doesn't want to tell Dobby, but he does, anyway, sir! He said he and Wheezy are going to rescue the kidnapped girls! I say he mustn't put himself in danger, sir, but he has! He has probably already left, sir! He made Dobby promise he won't tell…but…" Dobby trailed off. Professor Dumbledore was alarmed.

"You mean to tell me that Harry Potter and…someone else has gone to rescue the kidnapped girls?!"

"Yes, sir. Harry Potter and Wheezy."

"Wheezy? If I know Harry, he would've persuaded Ron to join him…Dobby, do you mean Harry and Ron Weasley?" Dumbledore asked, his eyes alight with fury, respect and worry.

"Yes, sir. Ron Wheezy." Dobby suddenly grabbed an ink bottle and flung it at his head. With a SMASH, it shattered and ink flew all over the room, drenching the teachers and seeping into their robes. With a few fast-spoken words, the teachers and the room were ink-free, Dobby was put on a stretcher (he had knocked himself out), Professor Flitwick was guiding the stretcher to the Hospital Wing and the other teachers had all filed out of Dumbledore's office and were heading outside. Dumbledore walked towards his door, preparing to leave, but then turned around, as if fate was telling him something. He glanced at the cabinet behind his desk where he saw Godric Gryffindor's sword that Harry had pulled out of the Sorting Hat in his second year. Dumbledore marched over to the cabinet, unlocked the door with a soft click, took the sword out and closed the cabinet back up with another soft click. Dumbledore studied the sword for a few seconds, then slid it under his belt. He marched out of his office and met the teachers outside, where he gave out a speech and instructions.

~~~

"Harry, how on earth do you know where you're going?" Ron asked, clutching Harry's shoulders as they flew, invisible, over rooftops. Harry didn't answer.

"Harry, are you alright?"

No answer.

"HARRY!"

"AAARGH! Oh, Ron! It's you! God, you scared me!"

"Are you okay? I just asked you two questions and you didn't even hear me," Ron said, concerned.

"Yeah, I–I'm fine…"

"Okay…if you say so."

They fell silent. 

Hours passed as they flew on and on past villages, fields and woods, and they still didn't say a thing to each other. Ron was concerned about Harry, but more concerned about Rachel – and Hermione, of course. You-Know-Who could be doing anything to them…Ron shuddered to think about it. But Harry was lost in a world of guilt. How could he have been so stupid? He knew that Voldemort tried to hurt anyone close to him. If Hermione died…Harry's life would fall apart. With a sombre look on his face that could break a million hearts, he desperately wondered where she was now and if she was alive…Harry felt his heart throb with anxiety and sorrow, but still he could not cry. With all his might, he wished he could at least cry one tear for Hermione – something to show he cared, but no tears came. Behind his cute glasses, his emerald eyes glimmered with hope, worry and ferocity. How could one man be so evil, cold and murderous? Why did he have to wreck Harry's life? Why, why, why…?

"Harry, there's something behind us on the ground. I think it's following us!" Ron whispered urgently.

"How could it know we're here? We're invisible, remember? And is 'it' an animal?" Harry whispered back.

"Dunno…"

Harry flew over to a tree and landed softly into its branches that swayed in the afternoon wind. Harry kept the invisibility cloak over them and peered around. Out of the corner of his eye, Harry spotted a large, black animal sit down under their tree and start to scratch its ears…a dog! A black dog…a large black dog that resembled a friendly Grim…Sirius!

Harry pulled the cloak off himself, jumped down and ran to the dog.

"Sirius! How –" Harry didn't finish his sentence as he gasped in surprise. Sirius had transformed back into a human and Harry saw that his looks had changed. His wavy, black hair was clean and had been cut into a mushroom cut that suited him. His skin wasn't stretched, and his face was normal, not hollow and skull-like. His eyes weren't cold and empty; they were alight with mischief and happiness. He was very handsome like this. Plus, his body wasn't thin and frail anymore; it was strong and athletic.

"Harry, I have quite a lot of questions for you, but first of all, I'd like you to know that this is what I looked like at Hogwarts. Popular, cute and strong," Sirius said, chuckling. Then his eyes grew serious. After a few seconds of studying his godson, he exploded, "WHAT THE BLAZES DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!"

Harry gulped. Ron came out of the tree with Harry's broom and stood by Harry's side.

"I know what you're up to, Harry. Let me tell you that there is _no way_ I will allow you to run from Hogwarts and think you're gonna go and rescue Hermione and Rachel! _NO WAY_. Get on that broom and get back to Hogwarts. I'm not doing this to be overprotective, but I have a job as a godfather. Also, I know why Voldemort –" (Ron backed away at this point. Seeing Sirius so angry made him very nervous, as did Voldemort's name.) –"kidnapped your girlfriends: to make sure you'd do exactly what you're doing right now! It's a trap! Don't you see? He wants you there so he can get you under his possession and kill you! Now, go back. I promise I'll do everything I can to get the girls back, but please, let the teachers deal with this!" Sirius finished off by giving Harry a look of pure begging – and it wasn't a fake one to persuade him. He was scared that Harry was about to be killed. Harry took a deep breath.

"Sirius, I understand every word you're saying. I know it's a trap. I don't care, though. He has Hermione, and I will stop at nothing to get her and Rachel back – _nothing_. I'm sorry, Sirius, but I have to get her back. And even if he doesn't kill me then, it doesn't matter, because I'll be killed at the Battle of Heirs, anyway. C'mon Ron, we're wasting time," Harry pulled Ron away from Sirius and told him to mount the broom and wait for him to come back. Then he went back to Sirius and whispered, "I'm sorry. I know this isn't what my parents would want. But this is for Rachel, and especially for Hermione. I have to do this. I love you, and if I don't return, you didn't fail. I did."

Harry hugged his godfather, who had tears running down his attractive face. Sirius didn't say a word as he watched the true son of James and Lily Potter walk back to the curious Ron, and to his doom – or was it destiny? Harry mounted the broom, and looked back. Without a gesture or word, he looked at the man who had worked so hard to protect his godson, and to become a free man – all for Harry's benefit. The Boy Who Lived turned back around and flew the broom away, then he and his friend disappeared under James's invisibility cloak.

_Part Two _

__

__Hermione trembled. She wanted to scream so badly that she nearly choked on her gag. Tied firmly to a chair that was charmed with many un-escapable charms, she looked into Rachel's petrified eyes. Rachel looked into Hermione's horrified eyes. At the same time, the two girls started to stain their gags with tears. Of course, the gags were black with the Dark Mark on them, and the chains were rusty, bloody and painful.

The door to their freezing, grey dungeon swung open and Voldemort walked in. He raised his wand to Rachel.

_"Crucio!"_ he hissed at her. Rachel tried to scream through her excruciating pain, but merely choked and let warm tears run down her cheeks as her chair fell over, due to her body thrashing around. Hermione's eyes widened as she saw the Dark Lord _laughing!_ This was his entertainment, like a child watching a comedy show on television! Her eyes widened more and silently pleaded for him not to do the same as his grin turned towards her.

"No…" she thought. "NO!"

_"Crucio,"_ Voldemort whispered sickeningly.

Hermione joined Rachel on the floor. Immense pain that she had never felt before flooded her body. It was so strong, she thought she would explode. Trying to scream, she choked and spluttered. The Dark Lord chuckled.

"Does that hurt?" he asked, showing no sympathy. He shook his head in disgust at the two frail teenagers and took the spell off them. He left the room, his crimson eyes sparkling menacingly.

"Please, Harry! Save me…" Hermione thought, before passing out.

~~~

"Dumbledore! I think I see Sirius Black up ahead!" Professor McGonagall cried, clutching the Headmaster's waist as they flew on a broom on the way to the Riddle House. That was where they suspected Voldemort to be – and where Harry would have thought of.

"Yes, I see him, Minerva. And please do not clutch my ribs so tightly, my bones are fragile at such an old age," Dumbledore tried to joke, but McGonagall was still in a nervous, worried state. The broom next to them, holding Snape and Sprout, came up next to Dumbledore's.

"Sir, what if Voldemort recognizes me?" Snape asked worriedly.

"_Light Conquers Shadows_," Dumbledore replied. Snape raised his eyebrows, but nodded and continued his flight with Sprout. They reached Sirius, who had tears running down his face. He refused to say why. In his mind, Sirius knew that Harry wouldn't want him to blab about how he was going to the Riddle House. On the other hand, Dumbledore probably already knew where Harry was going.Snape flew up to him.

Surprisingly (to Sirius), Snape gave Black's hand a shake.

"We're on the same side, now, Black. I've changed. Even Harry knows it," Snape said to his old foe. They smiled, and Sirius moved Sprout onto Hagrid's broom (which trembled under the weight of a half giant _and_ a teacher) and sat behind his new friend.

"Call me Padfoot, you slimy fool," Sirius laughed to Snape.

"Yes, Padfoot. But please, call me Severus," Snape replied, shaking his head. Sirius grinned.

~~~

"Ron, wake up!" Harry shook Ron's shoulder. They had landed in a clearing in some woods about halfway from Little Hangleton – the village where the Riddle House was. Ron had fallen asleep during the journey, but he now jerked awake and shivered in the chilly, foggy night air. It was nearing midnight, and the moon provided little light. 

Harry handed Ron his cloak, and put on his own. He conjured up a fire and got out the box of food. After awhile, the box was nearly empty, which wasn't surprising, as they had been travelling all day without any stops. Harry wished he could just keep flying, but his eyes were drooping, and Ron couldn't fly a broom straight to save his life. Ron fell asleep almost as soon as they had finished eating. Harry had to smile. Then he prayed, hoping that their girlfriends were alright, and that Ron wouldn't be hurt because Harry had persuaded him to come along. Then he fell into a dreamless slumber, but little did he know that he was being watched – not from Earth, but from Heaven. 

Lily and James Potter had picked up Harry's prayer, and nearly burst into tears that their son had to go through all these emotions and events. They were angels, and they had no control over whether Harry would survive or not, but they were determined not to let him down. They would help him by entering another one of his dreams…

_Harry gasped in surprise. He was walking on clouds, under the long, everlasting, baby blue sky. Harry heard footsteps behind him. Spinning around, he saw his parents standing there. They were holding each other, but they turned to Harry._

_"Voldemort is luring you into a trap, Harry, as Padfoot has told you. But, trap or not, you have to rescue those girls. It's up to you. You won't die if you fully trust the Light Side. Remember, 'Light Conquers Shadows'. We will always be here for you," James said, hugging his son. Lily said no word, but through her soul, she sent a warm feeling – one that gave Harry courage and determination._

_"Good luck, Young Prongs," James whispered, and they turned and walked away, finally becoming two tiny little specs as they reached the horizon. Harry fell though the clouds slowly, then onto a soft patch of grass. He lay down on the grass and closed his eyes…_

_ _

_~~~_

"Minerva! My dear Professor, next time we have to land, please take care not to clutch my ribs so tight!" Dumbledore chuckled as he tumbled off the broom in some woods.

"I apologize, but you must understand that that landing wasn't as smooth as it could've been! I was terrified. Now where is that food?" said Professor McGonagall as her stomach rumbled. Dumbledore passed out the food around the group of teachers. They chewed thoughtfully, each sitting on a small tent they had conjured up. After their meal, they went over their plan to rescue the girls and stop the boys. After awhile, they each snuggled under a thick blanket and caught up on six hours worth of sleep, until Dumbledore woke them up at the crack of dawn to keep moving. But little did they know that on the other side of the thick forest, two other people were also awakening…

~~~

Harry woke with a start. The alarm on his watch had gone off. Yawning, he turned it off, crawled out of his sleeping bag and shuffled over to Ron's. He shook Ron awake, who grumbled as he noticed that the sun hadn't even risen. The two had a hasty breakfast, watching the red glow of the sun glimmer weakly over the mountains.

After breakfast, they packed up and set off again. 

"God, Harry, d'you know how quickly our seventh year has gone? I mean, it's nearly time for Christmas and the Graduation Ball!" Ron exclaimed as the two skimmed the sky, invisible.

" I know. That reminds me, we have to switch dates for the dance! I invited Rachel, and you invited Hermione," Harry said.

"Yeah, we'll switch later, that is, if they're still alive," Ron said quietly. Harry thought the same thing, but never said a word. Ron burst into tears. Instantly, Harry stopped flying and landed in a tree. There he hugged Ron, and handed him the Revealer.

"Check on them. Check on Hermione and Rachel," Harry said.

"Why didn't you use it before?" Ron queried, looking into the screen that Harry had turned on with a spell.

"Because we can be tracked easily if we use it, therefore, Voldemort would find out that we're coming right now, instead of in a few days, like he's probably planning," Harry replied sensibly.

Ron's tears flowed more and more quickly. Harry peered over his shoulder at the screen, and gasped. Hermione and Rachel were led on the floor with chains around them, tangled hair, bruised and bloody skin and gasping for breath. In one swift movement, the Revealer had been switched off, put in the backpack, the Invisibility cloak was back on and the two were hopping on the broom; all fear had exited Harry's body, replaced by anger and determination. Lily and James Potter were straining their powers for their son.

_Part Three_

_ _

"There it is," Ron whispered five hours later, pointing to the Riddle House. Harry's anger had gone sky high. It was so strong, that it had nearly taken over. Harry landed harshly, making Ron fall off a foot from the ground. Harry placed the broom under his backpack on the ground and sprinted up the stone steps, closely followed by Ron. They reached the door, and Harry blew it to smithereens without even touching his wand. Ron gaped at his friend, then he followed Harry into the dusty house. They barely went three steps before hearing two high-pitched, long, piercing screams. They had come to the right place.

~~~

SPLAT!

Dumbledore and McGonagall toppled into a large puddle of mud outside the Riddle House. 

THUD! THUD!

Padfoot and Snape had arrived onto the stone steps in front of the door, which looked as if it had been blasted off its hinges. Sirius had a look of pure loathing in his eyes as he looked at the home of the murderer who slaughtered his best friends.

The rest of the teachers landed with a loud bang, thud, squelch or splat. Suddenly, Sirius called out, "They're already here! Harry and Ron are already here!" He pointed to a Streak5000 and a backpack. Snape swore. The teachers sprinted inside, only to hear female voices screaming. They ran to the long, winding staircase and began to ascend.

~~~

Up, up and up Harry and Ron went, following the screams. Blood curdling and shrill, the screams seemed to echo around the house and within their souls, drowning the two teenagers in angst. Harry thought he heard footsteps thundering up the staircase behind him, but he didn't stop to look; he stumbled over the landing that appeared quite suddenly, and heard Ron trip. He pulled Ron to his feet and they strained to hear which direction the screams were coming from. Suddenly, a body flew headlong over the landing and accidentally knocked Ron to the floor again. Harry noticed it was _Sirius!_ They glanced at each other briefly and silently decided what to do. Harry told Ron to wait for the other teachers, who, Harry saw, weren't as athletic as Sirius and were a few flights of stairs behind. Ron didn't argue. Harry and Sirius tore up a dusty corridor that was lined with old portraits. The men and women inside them were blinking solemnly, none of them smiling. They were dressed in medieval clothing and had black hair. Harry guessed they were the early Riddles. 

After a long minute of galloping down the immense corridor, Sirius stopped and clutched his side. He gritted his teeth. He didn't know how Harry could keep going. _Do this for Harry… He needs your help… _Sirius couldn't go on with only two legs – he needed four. Within a second, he had transformed into the black, shaggy dog that resembled his strong character and was beside Harry again, his ears laid back with a new wave of determination.

Screeching to a halt, Harry gasped for breath. He and Sirius (who changed back to a human when they stopped) were practically on top of the screams, now. There were four doors, two on each side. With another glance, Harry and Sirius nodded, and they separated. Going into the first door on the left, Harry saw it was only a broom cupboard. The second turned out to be a library, with only a house elf dusting the books inside, and no other doors. Harry turned to leave the library, but saw a Death Eater blocking the doorway. Automatically, Harry pulled out his wand. The Death Eater chuckled evilly.

"Think you can duel against a powerful Dark wizard, eh, young Potter?" the Death Eater whispered hoarsely. Harry answered by narrowing his eyes and raising his wand.

"Alrighty, then. _Exp–_" the Death Eater started to say, but his spell was interrupted. Harry got there first. 

_"Expelliarmus!"_ he cried. The Death Eater's wand sat comfortably in Harry's fist. The Death Eater narrowed his eyes. He couldn't perform magic without his wand. At that point, seven Death Eaters appeared at the first one's side. The seven that had just appeared raised their wands and pointed them at Harry. Yet again, Harry's quick reflexes came to the rescue.

"_Octium!"_ Harry yelled. Eight chrome-coloured jets of light shot at each Death Eater, knocking them to the ground with a deafening _WHAM!_ Harry collected their wands and discarded them with a wave of his wand. Then he tore out of the library and into the first door that Sirius had gone into. It turned out to be an office. A leather office chair was sat behind a black, wooden desk. The handsome panelling that formed the walls was spectacular, topped off with more portraits. Harry exited the room and charged through the last door that Sirius must have gone through. Harry opened the door and gasped. The walls were damp, cold and made of stone that had bloodstains splattered every few inches. Harry prayed that none of the blood belonged to Hermione, Rachel or Sirius, whom was nowhere to be found. Suddenly, Harry located the screams. _They were down this stone tunnel!! _In panic,Harry yelled out and sprinted down the tunnel, anger bubbling so strongly inside him that he thought he had lost all sanity. Harry screeched to a halt. There, ending the tunnel, was a magnificent, marble door with intricate carvings of bloodstained swords and daggers, and on the other side of the door, screams were echoing loudly. Harry's heart was in his throat. Blood pounded in his ears. His hands were trembling. Placing a white-knuckled hand on the bronze door handle, Harry's breathing turned short and uneven. He heard a high-pitched voice cackle. He knew that voice. That was the same voice that had laughed when its owner murdered his parents. It was the same laugh that had chuckled at bodies being torn apart – bodies that had been ripped, scratched and stabbed. This man had wrecked so many lives, and Harry was determined to wreck his. With a scream of antagonism, Harry shoved the door open so hard that it bounced off the wall in the other room. But this room was too big to be a room – in fact, it looked like part of an old church. Except at the end where there was usually a cross or a symbol of Christianity, there was a Dark Mark.On either side of the hall, there were seats, but Harry doubted anyone had sat in them for a few years; covered in cobwebs and dust, the seats had graffiti all over them. Although the seats had been vandalised, the walls were beautiful. Pure white stone with high, red, stained-glass windows; this hall had to be highly valuable. 

A shriek rang out. Harry peered down the end of the hall, and roared. Hermione and Rachel were mangled, bloody and looked extremely injured. Harry lost it. Screaming at Voldemort, he sprinted up the hall. 

_"YOU _–"Harry swore so badly that even Dumbledore would have gasped. He reached the end of the hall in record time, but he didn't stop. Doing a running jump, he landed on Voldemort, making him fall to the floor with a crash. Harry was flung into the air as Voldemort waved his wand. Sprawled on the ground, Harry's rage turned, if possible, even stronger. He scrambled to his feet and ran over to the girls. Voldemort waved his wand again, and Harry was thrown backwards again.

"You don't touch the girls. They don't go until you're dead. If you do touch them, I shall kill them," Voldemort whispered. Harry narrowed his eyes, but stepped away from them, giving them an apologetic glance. He drew out his wand.

"Put the wand away, Harry. We need to talk," Voldemort hissed.

"Make me," Harry spat. Voldemort shrugged and sat down in one of the seats.

"I need to say a few things to you," he said lazily, flicking a speck of dust off his robes. Harry narrowed his eyes.

"Oh, no need to be like that. Anyway, didn't you realize this is a trap for me to slaughter you?"

"I did realize that, but I didn't care. All I want is Hermione and Rachel safe."

"Noble words. _Such_ a pity that the speaker of them will soon be unable to say anything." 

"Think again," Harry hissed, "it'll be you that won't be able to say anything after I deal with you."

"Brave, are you, Harry Potter? Well let me tell you something. This time, your parents won't be here to save you. Neither will their memory or shadow. It's just you and me. No Basilisk, no Dumbledore, no parents. Yet, I cannot deny that you have courage. Something that I have to praise you on. Yet you're my enemy, therefore someone that has to be rid out of my way. Goodbye, Harry Po–"

"_Expelliarmus!"_ Harry yelled. Voldemort's wand flew over its owner's head and to Harry, who caught it spectacularly. Voldemort shook his head.

"Haven't you learnt _anything?"_ Voldemort sighed, and waved his hand. His wand flew out of Harry's and into his own. Harry snarled, and raised his wand, again.

"Harry, I believe that –" Voldemort started to say, but was interrupted by the door to the hall banging open. Dumbledore, the teachers and Ron stormed in. Voldemort sighed again. With a wave of his wand, the hall disappeared, to leave them all standing on the grass that was originally under the hall. Dewy and fresh, the grass made Rachel's chair slip over, while Hermione's went sideways. Ron yelled out and started to run to Rachel, but Voldemort waved his wand, and the teachers and Ron were enclosed in a lilac bubble. Dumbledore wave his wand, but was unable to puncture the bubble. Voldemort lifted his robe sleeve and pressed the Dark Mark that had been engraved on his arm. It turned jet-black. Harry's scar suddenly started searing with white-hot pain. He yelled out in agony, clutching his head. Everything was blurring – and then it all stopped as suddenly as it had started. Voldemort was looking at Harry with amusement. Suddenly, a Death Eater appeared at Voldemort's side. A muffled scream came from inside the bubble. Harry looked up through watering eyes from the pain and saw Professor McGonagall faint. She had landed on the bottom of the bubble. Then, ten Death Eaters came outside from inside the Riddle House. The remaining Death Eaters appeared one by one. Then Harry noticed that three of them looked shorter than the rest. Two were broad, and the other that stood in between the two was shorter still, but thinner. _It was Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle!_ The Death Eaters surrounded Voldemort in a tight circle, but Voldemort addressed them.

"Death Eaters! You shall not surround me and Potter. We have to have our little Battle of Heirs, first. Then you may do what you like with the interfering buffalo-head, Dumbledore and his little group of teachers. Now to business," Voldemort said mockingly, turning to Harry. Harry drew out his wand. With no training whatsoever, Dumbledore was sure Harry would be frustrated. But he wasn't. His mind was as clear as ever. The whole universe was relying on him, and if he didn't defeat Voldemort…he shuddered to think of the consequences. What spells would he use? But there was no time to think about that, now. Voldemort was raising his eyebrows at Harry. Harry's scar suddenly started searing with pain, but stopped. It was as if some angels above were taking the pain of his white-hot scar away. Voldemort turned to him. Harry was ready. He had confidence. He also had fury. Shaking with fury of his past, he raised his wand. Voldemort did the same. They bowed. The Battle of Heirs had begun.

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_Author's Note:_ Well, that's chapter 13 over and done with. And I'm REALLY sorry about the cliffhanger!!! But I needed to end the chapter, and it was a good place to stop, anyway. :) Also, I need to know what you think, so please review with compliments and constructive criticism, but please, NO FLAMES. If you wish to e-mail me, fell free by clicking [here][1].

Thanks to everyone who reads! You're the people who make me grin. And also my 14 year old pen pal who loves my fics – you're an angel to me. Your praise means so much!! I wish there was more I could do than thanking you a billion times. But for now, I'll just have to get the next chapter out!! Hehe. BTW, I can't seem to get the HTML working properly, so for now, it'll have to stay looking like this!! **Waves**

_~~~*~~~ Rachie.V._

   [1]: mailto:rachvom@aol.com



	14. ~Chapter XIV~

~Harry Potter and the Battle of Heirs~

~Rachie.V.~

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Chapter XIV

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PART ONE

   Voldemort gave an insane grin. Never losing eye contact, they moved around in a circle together. Harry's breathing was uneven. Sweat trickled down the side of his head. Images flew through his mind like a movie: his third birthday when Dudley's hair had turned green, Hagrid bursting into the hut on Harry's eleventh birthday, being Sorted, winning the Quidditch Cup for the first time, meeting Sirius, falling for Hermione…battles against Lord Voldemort…

"You could just back out, Harry," Voldemort whispered. "It'd be a lot less painful if you did…and then, you'd be with your Mudblood mother and disgraceful father."

"Don't insult my parents! They weren't the 'disgraceful' ones – you are!"

"I like your courage, but it won't last," Voldemort spat. Harry narrowed his eyes through his fear; he gritted his teeth and raised his wand. 

He may have had fast reflexes, but Voldemort's were more effective.

"_Crucio!_" he hissed.  Terrible pain flooded through Harry's veins, and he fell to the floor, writhing in agony, but uttered no sound. Hermione, Ron, Sirius, Rachel, the teachers and Death Eaters looked on as Harry experienced extreme pain, and yet still he remained silent. Time seemed to stand still; the evening air was thick with evil. The world lost all sound, and not a breeze shivered through the trees. Harry wanted to scream, he wanted to die, but he knew not to yell, or it would be worse. And then he stood up, a look of sheer triumph upon his face. He had defeated the Cruciatus curse. 

Voldemort gave him a look of mild respect. 

"Brave…good luck," he said softly and raised his wand again. "_Crucio! Crucio!_" 

Harry threw himself to the ground just in time; the spells rebounded off tree trunks and hit the Riddle House, making hissing noises as they punctured the bricks.

Harry stood up and made to move forward, but then slipped on the dewy grass. Voldemort came forward and stood in front of him, smiling. 

He raised his wand.

"LEAVE HIM!" a voice hollered. Heads swivelled. Draco Malfoy stood behind Harry, his Death Eater mask in his hand. He threw it to the ground.

"Malfoy, are you betraying me? Are you siding with your enemy?" Voldemort whispered.

"I'm not betraying you, I'm doing you a favour. Leave Potter alone!" Draco cried into the silent air. Voldemort didn't retaliate with a curse, as he would have done with another Death Eater, but simply raised his eyebrows. For a split second, Harry was reminded of Dumbledore, but the thought quickly faded.

"You fool," Voldemort breathed, "You don't know what you're doing! GET BACK IN LINE!"

"MAKE ME!" Draco shouted, and spat at Voldemort's feet.

"_Crucio,"_ Voldemort whispered evilly. Draco slid to the ground, screaming, flinching and gasping. Voldemort seemed to have forgotten about Harry for the time being; he was enjoying great pleasure in abusing Draco.

Harry stared, dumbfounded. _What do I do? What should I do? Somebody help me!_ He thought desperately, watching as Draco's breathing was becoming weaker.

Distract Voldemort…save Draco… 

Harry took a deep breath, and yelled at the top of his voice: "HEY, TOM RIDDLE!" He knew it was childish, but it just might work.

Voldemort spun around furiously, and his concentration was broken. Draco gasped feebly and his face hit the ground. Harry glanced at Draco's deathly-still figure, but was suddenly aware that he didn't know what came next. He had been caught off-guard.

_"Expelliarmus,"_ Voldemort hissed. Harry's wand flew into Dark Wizard's hand, and he snapped it in half. "I didn't expect the Battle of Heirs to be like this," he said coldly. "I expected a show of power, but it seems we have a show of stupidity instead," Voldemort said coldly. He threw back his head and laughed shrilly, freezing the hearts of all that heard. After a few seconds, his laughter died down, and he gave a look of utter repulsion to Harry's eyes. 

"So green, were your mother's eyes," he said softly. "So green… She was innocent, she didn't deserve death. But because of you, she had to accept it. If it wasn't for you, she would be in this world now."

Harry's eyes started to water.

"Don't listen to him, Harry!" Hermione whispered from inside the bubble that enclosed her, the teachers and her friends. "Don't listen!" She pressed her hands against the strange material, wishing she could help.

"If it weren't for you, your mother could have lived. I could have spared her life," Voldemort continued.

Harry blinked, trying to hold back the tears that he had not let loose for so long, trying to hold back the sorrow he had not shown for a very long time.

"You have your father's hair, and his looks. Indeed, he was very brave. Very. But because of you, he had to die. Yes, Harry, I killed your only family for your sake. Didn't you ever wonder why I killed them in the first place?"

Harry knew that Voldemort was toying with him, but he couldn't help it. Voldemort had him entranced. He shook his head, a tear trickling down his cheek. 

"No? Never? Well, I'll tell you right now. When you were born, the moons of each planet were lined up in an accurately straight line. I am the only other person in the whole of history to be born in such conditions. It has been known that a child born under such circumstances will have magnificent powers. The news of your birth was all over the media – 'another child born under the Alignment of Stars'. I was furious. I heard that it was the Potters' son, and knew then that you would fight only for Dumbledore's side. Your parents were too close to him, and I knew you'd be exactly the same. I couldn't have another wizard with such powers fighting against me. Beside me, I would accept. In league with me, I would accept, but not against me. That would be far too dangerous for the Dark side. 

"So I decided that, before you got control of your exceptional powers, I had to destroy you. But I knew that your parents would do everything possible to keep you safe from harm. I had to get them out of the way. So, I turned up at your home, and your father stood against me, protecting his wife and child. I killed him."

A second tear followed the first, rolling down Harry's cheek.

"And then I found your mother. She was huddled against a wall with you in her arms. I told her I would spare her life. All she had to do was hand you over to me. That was all. If she had done that, she would have lived, then I could have trained you, trained you to become my heir, but no – she wouldn't have it. 

"She argued uselessly, I tried one last time to take you, but she held you tighter. So I killed her."

Harry closed his eyes, trying to block out the memories that were flooding into his head – screams, yells, a baby crying, a high, cold laugh. A tear trembled on Harry's chin, then dropped and landed on the grass before Voldemort's feet.

"Harry Potter – I killed your parents, and it was all your fault."

Harry bowed his head.

"No!" Hermione whispered. To her surprise, the bubble burst, and the occupants fell from it. They didn't do anything but stand back up again and continued watching the scene before them. The Death Eaters took no notice. 

Harry gave a shuddering gasp as tears splattered upon the grass. Every word of Voldemort's had been true, and Harry knew it. He looked up through bloodshot eyes into Voldemort's gleaming ones.

"If you take my hand, Harry, I will bring them back," Voldemort whispered. He stretched out his hand. "Join me, and your parents will breathe once more. Just take my hand."

Harry continued staring into Voldemort's eyes. The tears flowed harder.

Screams rang through Harry's mind. They penetrated his brain, infecting his thoughts. A green flash echoed through his memory, and a laugh: a high, cold laugh. It echoed round and round, never ceasing. It grew louder and louder, fiercer with every second; it grew and grew until it seemed almost real; the reality flowed and bloomed until he could take it no more.

Harry roared as hard and loud as he could, yelling a simple sentence that would change the course of history forever:  "I HATE YOU, LORD VOLDEMORT!" 

There was a ringing silence that lasted for only a split second, and then there was a soft rumbling noise, until it started grow. The earth gave a sudden shake and then there was an explosion of red light. All that stood were thrown to their feet, the trees gave a vicious sway backwards and a wind swept forwards from where the explosion had started at Voldemort's feet. Harry squinted past the wind that was now swirling, and he tried to gasp, but no wards came out of his mouth. Red beams of light were shining around Voldemort; they came from the skies and ground, but suddenly, Harry's voice came back, and he gave a yell of pain. His scar had erupted. White light swam within it, the pain seared backwards and forwards and he pushed his face into the dirt, screaming in agony.

Voldemort screamed with him and shared the pain, for the beams were cutting through into his skin, causing his blood to boil and his skin to bubble. The beams started to grow thicker and thicker until he was within a cylinder of red light. The wind grew stronger, pushing against the bodies and trees, and Draco sat up weakly, then gasped at what he saw. The red light shimmered, and then they burst upwards, the cylinder speeding to the sky, yet it had no bottom, and the beams of light stayed attached to the floor. The sides grew longer and longer as they sped upwards, and Voldemort was lost in a world of red mist and light. He gave a terrible, cold scream that was to be remembered for all time, and then the beams shot outwards with a blast, covering all that lay within an extremely vast radius. The wind gave a last surge, and died. The red light was lost, and there was no sign of Voldemort. The trees slowly swayed back into their normal positions. 

Silence. Sheer silence. It was not heard, but the lack of sound meant so much, giving so much meaning of peace, yet it was invisible.

PART TWO

Harry gave a cry and started thrashing about. 

_The Wizard was coming!! Where were his parents? He had to warn them! He had to tell them! The Wizard was coming! There was a flash of green light, and then – _

Harry gasped and sat up. His face was framed by cold sweat, and his hands were clutching his blankets so tightly that his knuckles were numb. He was in the Hospital Wing.

"Harry!" somebody cried out, and the next thing he knew, there was an attractive girl hugging him.

"Hermione!"

"Oh Harry, it was so frightening! I thought you might d- " Hermione started sobbing, clutching him tightly.

"Oh, Hermione," he said softly with a laugh, and stroked her head.

"Harry! Are you okay?" Ron asked, walking into the room.

"Ron! You're here!"

"Yeah, you didn't think that I'd leave my best bud in hospital while I had fun, did you?"

Harry laughed. "Nah, not really."

"So how are you feeling, anyway?" Ron's face became concerned.

"Shaken, and everything's rushing through my head," Harry replied.

Hermione pulled away from him, wiping her eyes.

Harry put a hand to his head, and grimaced at the pain and memories flooding into his mind.

What – what happened after that red light?" Harry asked Ron.

Ron's face contorted into a sad expression that had a hint of worry and anger.

"Well," he began, "You fainted straight away. Dumbledore captured all the Death Eaters, and somehow sent 'em off to the Ministry of Magic. We learnt later that they went to a court thing, and most of 'em got stuck in Azkaban.

"Anyway, Dumbledore told Draco and me to pick you up, and then he transported all of us back to Hogwarts. Sort of like Apparating." – Hermione gave him a glare – "But it wasn't. Anyway, after that, Madam Pomfrey checked us all for injuries, then she said that you were in a really bad state in the head. That was a week ago."

Harry stared. "The Graduation is in a few days!"

"Yeah, you're right. I've already got my gown and stuff ready," Hermione replied glumly.

"Aren't you looking forward to it?" Ron asked her, surprised.

"How can I? Harry's going with Rachel, isn't he?"

Rachel walked into the room at that moment, holding a drink.

"Someone mention my name?" she asked.

Hermione shook her head silently.

"We were talking about how I asked you to go to the ball when we had that mix-up," Harry told her.

"Ah, I see," she replied, sipping her cup of water. "Nah, don't worry, 'Mione! You can have Harry all to yourself. I guess I'll just have to be stuck with Ron," she said with a laugh. Ron rolled his eyes. Hermione leapt up and hugged Rachel fiercely, spilling the drink.

~~~

   "RACHEL!! GIVE THEM BACK!" Hermione cried, putting her hands on her hips. It was the night of the Graduation, and Hermione was wearing a gorgeous, long, midnight blue dress with straps. The skirt flowed out at her hips and reached the floor. 

"Give me mine, then!" Rachel grinned, hauling up the hem of her beautiful silver gown. It was the same length and style as Hermione's, apart from the fact that it had a v-neck and cut-off sleeves instead of straps. They had both conjured up a hairstyle that suited them: a delicate bun with tendrils curling down. 

They had stolen each other's shoes as a joke, but it was getting close to the time of the Graduation, and Hermione was anxious.

"Rachel, please!" Hermione said, hauled up the hem of her dress and chased after Rachel, who was running down the stairs.

Rachel flew down the last step and into the common room, then froze at the site of her classmates staring. Hermione raced down the stairs after Rachel in a mad giggling fit and bumped into the other girl. They toppled over onto their stomachs, and Ron burst out laughing.

"Are you gonna dance barefooted tonight, ladies?" he laughed. Rachel tried to get up in a dignified manner, blowing strands of hair out from her eyes, but started laughing at the state of Hermione's hair and make-up. She doubled over, waved her wand and fixed Hermione up, then conjured up a mirror and gasped at her own reflection. She waved her wand, cleared herself up, stuffed her feet into her shoes and took Ron's arm. Hermione hurriedly made sure Rachel hadn't cursed her, put on her own shoes, grabbed Harry's arm, kissed him on the cheek and refused to look at the staring faces of her classmates.

"They have problems," Ginny said, shaking her head, and continued having a game of wizard's chess with her friends.

~~~

Author's Note: Bet you thought I'd given up on this fic, didn't you? Well, you were wrong. I know it took me months upon months, but I had to get it right, and a lot of things have been going on in my life, lately. I'm super sorry about the delay, anyway.

**BUT, THIS ISN'T THE LAST CHAPTER! THERE'S STILL CHAPTER 15!**

Well, that's about all I have to say. Please review, I hope you liked this chapter and thanks for not giving up on me!


	15. ~Chapter XV~

~Harry Potter and the Battle of Heirs~

~Rachie.V.~

----------~*~----------

Chapter XV

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Author's Note_: _This is actually quite a tiny chapter! But please review, as this is the last chapter of the_ Battle of Heirs_. Enjoy! Oh, the poem/lyrics in this chapter is out of the _Lord of the Rings_ movie (I have the soundtrack).__

"Welcome, year seven wizards and witches, to your last night at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!" Dumbledore called, standing upon a conjured stage. "I would like to thank all of you for your patience with us old teachers throughout the years, and for being such a magnificent crowd at the Quidditch matches. You have all proved…" Dumbledore continued his speech, and each of the teachers added their own part.

Soon after, names were called out, scrolls were given and Harry was given a nod by Dumbledore, and an extra note about Harry's future, what it may hold, how evil will once again rise, but not by the same name, and that James Potter, Harry's father, received a note almost exactly the same, with warnings about Voldemort.

A few minutes after the scrolls, the music started.

"May I have this dance?" Harry asked Hermione, holding out his arm. Hermione grinned and took it. Ron just glanced at Rachel, who shrugged and pushed him onto the dance floor. They, along with their classmates, began swaying to the music.

_When the cold of Winter comes_

_Starless night will cover day_

_In the veiling of the sun_

_We will walk in bitter rain_

Harry held Hermione near as they swayed together in a rhythm totally of their own. They were lost in a world that consisted only of one another, and nothing would pass through the gate of their privacy…apart from – 

Ron held Rachel closer, but she gave him a warning glance. He pouted, leaned forward and was about to kiss her, but she ducked out from his arms and gladly danced with an allowing Dean.

_But in dreams_

_I can hear your name_

_And in dreams_

_We will meet again_

Hermione kissed Harry on the lips softly, and he kissed her back. They glided across the dance floor, holding onto one another with a loving grasp.

Ron grabbed Parvati and danced with her clumsily, following Rachel and Dean, and just as Rachel was spinning to a guy from Ravenclaw, he let go of Parvati (who toppled over) and grabbed Rachel. She laughed.

When the seas and mountains fall 

_And we come to end of days_

_In the dark I hear a call_

_Calling me there_

_I will go there_

_And back again_

Harry breathed in the scent of Hermione's hair, and held her close to his body. She smiled up at him, and as she did so, he realized – he realized that he would never have to search again. He would never have to doubt Hermione's love. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with her.

_~~~_

_Five Years Later_

_~~~_

   "What a day!" Harry groaned, flopping onto the couch. His wife, Hermione Potter, came walking into the room. James Potter, Harry's son, gave a gurgle. Harry laughed, picked up the baby and walked over to his wife. He kissed her in greeting.

"Hard day at practice?" she asked.

"You bet. Being the Quidditch Captain for the country isn't easy, 'Mione."

"I know."

"Quidditch!" James gurgled from his father's arms. Hermione gave a gasp.

"James! You said your first word!"

Harry stared at his son. Hermione gave a squeal and kissed James on the head.

"You know, Hermione, that was my first ever word, too!" he said to his wife.

"Well, my first word was 'book'," Hermione replied. Harry burst out laughing.

~~~

Author's Note: Well, that's it, folks. I know this was tiny, and it took me months to get the last two chapters finished, but it's over. No more waiting. No more begging for me to get it written up. No more HP&BoH. *Sniffles* I'm gonna miss it, but hey, it's not the last HP fic I'm ever gonna do.

Please review for me, and look out for any future HP fanfics! Also keep your eye out for any Lord of the Rings fics, too. ^^

Thanks for being patient, thanks for reviewing!

~~~*~~~ Rachie.V.


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